Blood Bound
by xX12Anonymous97Xx
Summary: Set after 'Acceptance' and before 'The Coming Storm', explains inside. A member of Balto's family, thought to have been lost long ago reappears, but he needs help. Balto must decide whether or not to help, when helping could bring consequences he doesn't really want... especially not with his new family...
1. Chapter 1

(A/N - So once again I am _very sorry. _I am probably one of _the _most unreliable writers on here. But I went back over everything, and there was _way_ too much I wanted to happen, so I am going to split it into two stories. So the bad part is that y'all are gonna have to wait a while to find out what happens in the other story, but the good part is you get two more stories instead of just one. I believe this'll work out better for me and everyone, and I thank everyone that reads these for being so lenient.

And another small warning, some violence in this beginning, just letting ya know. Hope it's exceptional.)

Chapter 1

The canine strode across the land like he was the owner of it all. Like he was the only one out there, which was, of course, untrue. The groups of those after him attested to that. He was wanted by both man and wolf, for good reason too. The deaths of six wolves, eleven dogs, and two humans, along with severe injuries to countless others had been laid directly at his paws. While most of that _was _true, he had never touched a human. He had been falsely accused as the killer of the humans, just because of what he was. That had led to him being forced to hurt and sometimes kill the dogs, and later wolves, to ensure his own survival.

He'd gotten quite good at it, so good in fact that he didn't even feel it any more. The first time had been the worst. That was when he'd known they wouldn't forgive him. When he had realized that he had killed someone, then and there everything had been turned off. Now he cared about very little, and felt even less. So he often wondered why he didn't just let them catch him and end him. He wouldn't care… not after what they had done.

The pain from those memories was one of the few things he still felt. How much it _hurt _to see someone you cared about _so much _betray you right in front of your very eyes. And then to not even _care _about what had happened to him after that… The canine's eyes narrowed. _That _was his purpose. To catch the one that had hurt him. Make her pay for what she had done, and all the others that had had a part in it.

Of course it would be suicide to even _consider _going back there now. No, he would have to wait a while. Lie low somewhere, until the whole thing passed over, if it _ever _passed over. He knew the humans and the wolves would not let him get away so easily. In fact… He glanced off to his left. There stood a wolf, staring at him with icy eyes. He turned and met the gaze with one of his own, and more materialized from the brush and trees around him to encircle him. All it did was make his smile bigger.

_The more the merrier. _

These wolves weren't here to take him prisoner. He knew they were ready to end him, and were only restrained by their leader's orders.

_Mistake number one._

With speed so fast he surprised even himself; he leapt forward, heading straight for the first wolf he had seen. The wolf leapt forward to meet him.

_Mistake number two._

At the last second he dodged left, letting the wolf's teeth snap down on where his neck had been a moment before. This gave him the opportunity he needed, and the canine lurched forward to take the wolf's neck in his jaw. He ignored the taste of blood in his mouth and summoned his strength, swinging the still fighting wolf around and tossing it into one of his pack mates, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Another wolf leapt at him and he rolled onto his back, kicking the wolf square in the ribs and causing it to sail over and land yelping at the base of a large tree. He was back on his feet in time to receive a slash to his right side, followed up by a pair of fangs sinking deep into his right paw. He brought his left down on the back of the wolf's head, either killing it or knocking it unconscious. He didn't have time to check which.

The wolf he had kicked and the one that had had his partner tossed into him were coming at him again. The former wolf thought he knew better this time, and charged instead of leaping.

_Mistake number three._

He leapt clean over the wolf, earning a gasp of amazement from those still able to fight. He landed and was attacked immediately, receiving a cut just above his right eye and another bite mark on his right shoulder. Needless to say, it didn't end well for the two that had inflicted those wounds. Both of them now lie in pools of their own blood. Only two wolves still stood, and both of them were weary.

"You can walk away right now." He said calmly, staring the two down. He knew he didn't have time to wait around, reinforcements would be here soon. While he did his best to ignore his injuries, he knew they, on top of the countless others he had received over the past few weeks were beginning to weigh down on him. He was tired, hungry, and in need of a few days of sleep.

He took a moment to glance down at his left leg. A bullet had gone straight through it, now almost two weeks ago. It wasn't a big bullet, fired only from a small pistol, and it should have been healed by now. But due to his constantly moving around it hadn't healed, and as a result still hurt significantly.

The two wolves glanced at one another uncertainly, and he knew an advantage when he saw it. He leapt for the wolf on the right, striking it across the face with a downward swipe of his right paw. While the blow itself would've only left a bruise, his claws gouged the wolf's left eye, sending it to the forest floor, writhing in pain.

The left wolf on the left moved forward and struck him across the face, leaving yet another set of claw marks on his left cheek. The wolf ducked and dodged two more swipes of his paws before throwing itself and colliding head on with him. He bounced off the wolf and tangled his paws in its, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. The wolf, having the advantage of being well fed and rested, recovered first.

The pain of his injuries and the lack of food were taking their toll on his body, and he didn't know how much longer he could last. His vision was now outlined by a hazy red, and he knew it was time to finish this. He threw his entire weight into the wolf as they fought, but this wolf was _good. _

_Time to see how good._

He feigned left and attacked right, scoring a couple of lucky hits on the wolf's left shoulder. He pressed forward as the wolf stumbled back, biting and slashing at anything the wolf left exposed. Finally, with one last downward strike, the wolf lay still, surrounded by his dead and dying comrades.

The canine took a moment to breath before limping off. He had to find a river to throw them off his trail, otherwise it would be all too easy for them to smell his blood and follow it. After a few minutes of an ambling limp he came across just what he needed. It was a small river, but it would do nicely.

He waded in, relishing the feel of the cool water washing over his body, numbing his wounds as well as cleaning them. He was thankful that the spring was finally here, because snow would've made it even easier for him to be followed. He wished he could close his eyes and just let the water carry him away, but he had more walking to do.

He swam up the stream a ways, going maybe two miles before deciding that was far enough. He got out on the opposite bank, feeling just a little bit better thanks to the cool water. He made his way steadily through the growing wildlife, relishing the songs of the birds, the tug of the wind on his fur, and the warm sun. It almost reminded him of… well, he didn't want to remember it. She meant nothing anymore.

Finally the forest gave way to a tundra that sloped gradually downward, new grass and flowers beginning to repopulate it. He could see down there a fairly large human town. Perhaps he could hide out here for a while. He knew wolves wouldn't come this close to the town and that it was far enough away from where he'd come to be safe for a while. He was sure he had lost the team of humans and dogs tracking him more than a week ago, but still it was better to be safe than sorry.

For now he would find a quiet place to rest, and then venture into the town later to see if he couldn't find something to eat. He only hoped that he would be safe here for a while.

(And another small note. If anyone would be so kind, I'm searching around and could use some name requests for this character. He already has one, but I don't really like it all that much. Something that sounds kind of dark or mysterious would be good. Thanks everyone!)


	2. Chapter 2

(Yes, another OC. They're going to take up a lot of this story. I think I've found a name for the one, but I'm still takin' requests. Thanks all, and enjoy.)

Chapter 2

She moved leisurely through the town of Nome, meandering along since she had no overall destination. She was well known and was liked by quite a few in said town, but still she had no home. Nova had deserted her previous human master, and had no desire to _ever _have one again. The man had been a tyrannical creature, constantly beating and forcing his animals to take part in vicious fighting, earning him quite a bit of money.

Nova had been one of his finer fighters, but that didn't save her from his cruelty. She loathed having to fight and occasionally _kill _other dogs, but was decent at it. She had to be, if she wanted to survive the fights. Nova knew that most people weren't like that at all, but still the husky was weary to trust. She enjoyed the freedom now, able to do what she wanted. Nova enjoyed helping others however she could, and found it a lot easier to do now _without _any human connections.

Nova _knew _there was someone around her that was in need of assistance. She could smell it in the air, the scent of someone that was hurt, _bad. _She crept silently down a narrow alley way, a shortcut to where she was certain this _someone _would be. The husky was correct.

Due to the waning light of the setting sun, it was almost impossible to make out any detail on the silhouetted figure. It was attempting to open an unlocked door, the back door into a meat shop, but the handle was giving it trouble.

_Clever._

Nova had to be cautious in approaching this figure. If it was injured, and it most certainly was, it would likely be snappy and dangerous. It was best to make her presence known before she got too close.

"Hello."

The figure stopped trying to open the door and its head jerked around to glare at her. It's gleaming blue eyes met her own glowing green, and it scowled.

"Do you need something?" The figure growled, sarcasm dripping off of every word it spoke.

Nova shook her head. "No. But you _do."_

"I don't accept help from anyone."

Nova took a step forward and could see the figure more clearly. It was obvious he needed more than a little care. It was a dark grey coated dog, decent sized, and more than a little intimidating. He wore an impassionate and apathetic look that seemed to be permanently etched into his face. She guessed it had been quite a while since this dog had smiled or even _felt _like smiling.

He bore many cuts and lacerations across his face, shoulders, and even down his side. Some were old and mostly healed, but many were fresh, and a couple of the injuries were still bleeding. The worst were likely the two bites on his right side as well as an injury in his left leg. That one looked nasty and horribly infected. She imagined the injuries caused the dog a substantial amount of pain, yet he hid it well behind his dispassionate gaze.

"But you need it." Nova pressed, not one to give up so easily.

"I am fine. Go help someone else."

"No."

The dog rolled its eyes and took a deep breath, obviously forcing an unpleasant and probably some not-very-kind words back down.

"I don't _need _help." To accentuate his point, the dog took four steps towards her. He managed the first three well, but on the fourth, something inside of him gave out and he stumbled forth like a newborn pup and toppled into the dirt with a hiss.

Nova was at his side in an instant, but he managed to clamber to his feet and back away with a snarl.

"Get _off _me!"

Nova knew she couldn't _force _this dog to get help, though she wished she could. Why he would refuse the offer was beyond her. Any sane dog that was injured as much as he would likely accept help without a second thought. But he was different. Behind that apathetic mask _was _the ordinary dog, someone she could sense had been hurt in a way that deeply scarred him. So deep that none of his physical injuries could even compare. There were only a few things that could hurt pierce an individual that deep, and Nova suspected she knew which it was.

"Look, I _can't _just let you walk away like that. I don't care who you are or what you've done, just _please, _let me help." It even puzzled Nova as to why she was so insistent. But this dog seemed desperate, as if by refusing he was pleading for help.

A flicker of sadness crossed the dogs face for a mere moment, before returning to his stoic expression.

"I don't _want _or _need _help. Not from you, or anyone else. Go. Away." The finality in his voice didn't leave much room for argument. Nova's eyes narrowed.

"I'll leave you alone. For _now."_

The dog seemed satisfied with this and moved away. He walked stiffly down the alleyway before disappearing into the night. Nova let out a disappointed sigh. The husky took this as a challenge. She would find a way to help this dog, and maybe, just maybe, clear away the shroud of darkness that encircled him.

Nova left the alley and proceeded out onto the larger street. She felt someone walk directly into her right shoulder and jumped back in shock. A pair of stunned yellow eyes gazed at her.

"Balto!"

"Do I know you?"

"We met before, quite a while ago. I'm sure you don't remember me though. About three years ago you we were in the hospital together…"

Balto looked puzzled for a moment before his eyes widened in recognition.

"I _do _remember you. What was your name again?"

"Nova."

Balto nodded slowly. "That's right. I'm sorry, but I'm still not too good with names of everyone yet. But didn't you say you were going away from Nome?"

"I did… let's just say things didn't work out too well. I'm back here, alone."

Balto let out a quiet 'hmm' of understanding. "Well I suppose it's nice seeing you again, but I've got to run."

Nova nodded. "I understand. See ya later."

"Bye."

Balto brushed past her and continued on his way, presumably towards his mate's home. Nova had heard about everything the wolf dog had accomplished in the past few months, and was happy that he had been accepted into the town. She knew he was the mate of a dog called Jenna, and that the two had recently had a family together. Likely off to see them.

It made her heart ache a little. A family and a mate were two things Nova had wanted more and more for the past couple years, and she couldn't shake the jealousy from her being. The husky wanted someone she could curl up with on a cold night, someone who'd be there for her whenever she needed, and someone she could return that to. It seemed everywhere she looked she saw happy families, and with the early spring came the young pups.

Nova shook the thoughts away. It was getting late, and it was time to retire for the night. She'd need all the rest she could get if she was going to try to help that _dog _tomorrow.

…

Balto blinked and moved silently past Nova. He had somewhere important to be. Just a few short weeks ago he had learned that he and Jenna were going to be parents. Their initial reaction had been surprise and happiness, but that had quickly changed for Balto. He had quickly realized that _these _pups would be wolf dogs _too. _He was worried that they would be mistreated for that. Jenna had later asked him why.

His response was that although they were _his, _people might still be weary of the wolf blood in them. He had proved himself, but they _had not. _So if people were weary, that meant they might not be accepted or adopted by anyone. And if _that _happened, they would want to know why. How would he explain to them what they were?

Jenna's much more sensible reply was that he was basing everything on _'if' _and _'maybe'. _What reason did _anyone _have to be weary of little pups? They were of him. From him folks had learned not to judge on what something was, but rather who they were. So there was absolutely no reason for _anyone _to be weary until they found out who the pups were going to be. Even then, with the treatment and love they were going to have, Jenna was certain none of them would turn out bad.

While that did help substantially, Balto's worry was still ever-present, and it had only increased with the birth of the young three days ago. He kept it hidden well though, hidden behind his promise. He had never had any parents, he didn't even know their names or if they were still alive. So his promise was to be the parent he had never had. Everyone he spoke to said he would do just fine, but again, he wasn't so sure.

He didn't have a clue what a father was supposed to do. He supposed it was a learning experience. But he loved them all very dearly and would die without a second thought if it came down to that. He hoped it wouldn't. Balto wanted to be there to see them all grow up. But right now he wanted to see them.

At only three days old, the little ones were only slightly bigger than one of his paws. He was amazed at life and how it worked. Something so _small _could grow up to be something many times larger. He was amazed at all of the feelings that developed. Love, fear, happiness, sadness, pain, and… hate. Though it didn't happen often, the occasional young could grow into something evil. Balto found it strange how something so _innocent _could turn into evil. He wondered what could possibly happen to someone to make them evil.

And what about his parents? What had happened to them that caused them to just _abandon _him? Balto shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Perhaps they had done him a favor. If he hadn't been abandoned, he'd likely have never come to Nome. If he hadn't come to Nome, then who would have saved those children? And then there was Jenna…

The wolf dog could not even _fathom _the idea that there was anyone else out there he could love as much as her. There _wasn't. _If he hadn't come to Nome, he'd have never met her, and these pups would never have been given life. Some called it fate. He calledI it life.

Balto found himself standing before Jenna's quicker than he imagine possible. That was also amazing. When he was deep in thought it seemed to take less time to arrive at a destination. He didn't have any qualms with that, though.

Balto made his way around the house. The gate to the back yard had been left conveniently open just for him, and that brought a small smile to his features. He found Jenna getting a drink of water before turning to meet him. She gave him a warm smile.

"A little late, aren't you?"

Balto glanced up at the quickly darkening sky. "I suppose so," he said apologetically.

"It's fine, but I'm glad you're here."

The red and white husky brought him into the smallish iron and metal shed structure where they'd stay for the night. Inside, lying snuggled in a white cushion were their six pups. As soon as they heard Jenna enter they began whining and scrambling over each other, all desperate to get to her.

Jenna curled slowly around them, and Balto watched with fascination as each of the six cuddled into her side. He had a sudden flashback to a scene that he wasn't sure had ever happened. He wasn't really _in _a body, but rather simply seeing the scene take place before him. The iron metal walls of the shed turned into a wall of thickly interwoven bushes, bushes that surrounded him on all sides, and were even above his head. It was a decent sized space, and Balto assumed he was looking in from the entrance since he could see no other possible way inside.

He couldn't move, but movement wasn't necessary for him to see what went on before him. Lying in a position similar to the one Jenna had been in was a gorgeous white wolf. Her yellow eyes gleamed with happiness, but he could see that she was tired as well. A dark grey furred husky dog stood over her, the color of his eyes hidden from Balto's view. But neither of those two really had his attention. It was the two tiny creatures almost hidden by the husky that caught his vision.

One of them he recognized almost instantly. It was _him. _That little pup was _him. _That meant the wolf and the husky were his parents. But who was the second tiny creature beside him? He could see the two parents, _his _parents, speaking to each other, although he could not hear them. He _could,_ however, make out what the white wolf was saying.

_Two male pups. _

That meant he had a sibling, a _brother. _The second pup was almost identical to the husky, and Balto imagined that they likely had the same eye color as well. While Balto was almost sure that their parents had been killed, was it possible that this _brother _was still alive and well? If so where was he? Did he know about Balto? Did he _know _what had _happened _to their parents?

As quickly as the short dream had appeared it left, and the real world faded back into existence. Jenna was staring with concern on her face, prompting Balto to quickly shake away the experience and lie down beside her.

"What was that?"

Balto waited a moment before answering. "Nothing… it was nothing."

He knew that his mate was not convinced _at all _by that, but he was grateful she didn't press him any further.

_Probably in the morning. _

Time passed and Jenna's breathing slowed, until she and the six slept tranquilly in their spaces. But try as he might, Balto could not get the same to come to him. Every time he closed his eyes he saw _them _again. He couldn't stop thinking about them. And if he tried _not _to think, it just bothered him more. Eventually sleep did overcome him, but it was so fitful that it satisfied him very little. He knew one thing. He'd have a _very _bad headache tomorrow morning.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N. - I hope you all enjoy the double update, as well as the name for the OC. And to all fellow American's who might be reading this, Happy Independence Day. Be safe in whatever activities you decide to take part in. We still live in the greatest country in the world. Have a good time y'all.)

Chapter 3

He opened his eyes far too quickly and was greeted by a blaring yellow light that nigh on blinded him.

"Gah!" He clamped his eyes shut again and was grateful that no one had been around to see _that _particularly embarrassing exclamation.

He made sure to open his eyes cautiously this time, and blinked the spots away. Next he got to his feet and stretched, quickly noticing how much less his body hurt and how much better he felt. He was amazed at what a single night sleep could do for his body. All of his wounds had stopped bleeding, and they had even healed substantially during the night.

After getting away from that particularly provoking female, he had found an exceptional place to sleep. It was just outside of the town he'd decided to explore, and suited him quite well. The tundra he'd come through had a few sinkholes, and he had practically fallen into one last night. The thick grass shielded him well, but still allowed plenty of air to circulate around him. He hadn't been in the mood last night to get back up, so he'd gone to sleep there.

He felt better, but as his complaining stomach reminded him, he still had problems. His mouth was parched, so he decided to go back into the town.

He climbed back out of the sinkhole and gazed for a moment at the morning sky. The sun had already risen to a significant height, and he guessed it was somewhere around ten in the morning.

_Did I really sleep that late?_

He didn't bother answering that pointless question. He instead proceeded back into town and searched for the same building he'd been attempting to break into the previous night. He found it easily, but there was just one _little _problem.

The owner of the meat shop had _already _returned. He let out a low growl of frustration that did not go unnoticed. The owner had left the door open, and when the man heard his growl, he turned around quickly, a long silver knife glinting evilly in the sunlight.

The man blinked for a few moments before setting his knife down and picking up a few scraps of meat.

"You look like you could use this."

He rolled his eyes.

_I sure could._

In all honesty it surprised him; he had expected the man to at very least attempt to chase him away. As it were, he probably would've run. He didn't really want to get himself in trouble here. His hope was that perhaps he could start new. After the sleep he'd had last night he was having second thoughts about returning to his home extract his revenge.

He kind of liked it here. It was a nice, quiet place, and so far everyone (although he'd only met two) seemed friendly. Maybe he could get to know some of the folks here, find some friends, and- no.

It wasn't possible. He shouldn't have thought like that. It wasn't ever possible for him to return to anything with even a _vague _resemblance to normal life. His pursuers would never _stop _pursuing him, and eventually they'd be here, and he'd have to start running all over again. So it was best he _didn't _make any connections, lest what had happened to start all of this should happen again, and it no doubt would.

"Here ya go." The softly spoken words dragged him out of his trance, and he found a few pieces of scrap meat lying on the wooden floor in front of him. He finished them in about ten seconds, and the man let out a small chuckle.

"You sure are hungry."

The man was kind enough to toss him a few more pieces of meat, all of which were gone only a few seconds after they left the man's hand. He looked up for more, but saw the man shaking his head.

"That's all I can spare for ya today. Sorry."

He shrugged and nodded, hoping the man understood his way of saying 'thank you'. He had gotten more than he'd even imagined he would, and he was happy. He started to head back out of town, but thought better of it. He shrugged again.

_Why not?_

He turned around and proceeded into the heart of the town, whose name he learned from a conveniently placed sign, was Nome. Many people were busy, wandering about in the town, working or gathering things they needed, or even just stopping to talk to neighbors. He saw many dogs as well, but none paid him any mind, at least, not until he saw _her _again.

He suppressed a groan and kept his head low, hoping she'd just pass by him. Of course, the husky _didn't _do that. She stepped right in front of him and blocked him from moving forward.

"You look a lot better," she commented.

He sighed. "I told you I didn't need your help."

She stayed silent a moment. "I suppose you were right… but your leg _still _looks infected."

He didn't answer and started to move around her. She didn't let him go.

"What do you want _this _time?" He snapped.

Her light green eyes stared curiously into his. "Only your name."

"It's not important. Just leave me alone, please."

The female ignored his off-putting tone. "I'll tell you mine."

He shook his head. "I'm not interested, I don't care, and I won't remember."

She ignored his tone again. "I'm Nova."

He let his eyes comb over her once. What she saw in him mystified him. She had light green eyes, and a greyish, almost white coat of fur that covered her entire body. The sun caused her fur to reflect a slight amount of light off, and it gave her a slight glow.

"You're not getting mine."

He went to move around her again, and she blocked him _again_. He let out an irritated groan as a couple of people moved to step around them.

"Come on," Nova said pleadingly, "if you tell me I'll let you go."

He stopped for a moment to consider and analyze the offer. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Actually that was a lie. He _didn't _want to be alone, but he preferred it that way. He didn't want to get hurt again, and he didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him. But what harm could there be in her knowing his name? She sounded truthful… so why not?

The way she gazed at him with those innocent eyes, unknowing of everything that he kept hidden, that he'd done…

His eyes narrowed and he stepped away from her.

"_No."_

With that, he brushed roughly past Nova and headed into the town.

…

Balto felt something tiny and wet press itself against his nose and opened his eyes to find the single grey furred pup with her nose against his. If her eyes were opened he imagined she'd have been staring at him curiously. She was satisfied with placing her paw on his nose and letting out an unintelligible, soft whimper.

The wolf dog felt a happiness quell up inside of him as he gazed at her. This was what he lived for, and was what mattered. Family was the most important thing.

"We need to think up some names." Jenna spoke from somewhere to his left.

Balto slowly turned his head to find her sitting beside him, watching the scene before her.

Balto yawned, "You're right. We do need names."

Jenna offered him a thoughtful smile. "Do you have any ideas?"

Balto looked at her incredulously. "No…"

"What do you mean _no?"_

"What do I-"Balto stopped himself, "I _don't _have any ideas. Do _you?"_

"Actually, I do."

Balto spent the next few minutes listening as his mate rattled off a list of potential names. She sounded like she'd spent a lot of time thinking about them, and quite honestly he liked most of the titles. They eventually did settle on the names for all their sons and daughters, though the two agreed they would wait just to see the personality of each pup before making the names official. Though as Jenna pointed out, they couldn't wait _too _long; the young needed to start hearing and become familiar with their names. The sooner they began using said names, the better.

After the name discussion, the two then made their way into the outside world. Jenna was restless and needed a short walk to simply stretch out. So, after they had eaten something, gotten a drink, and left their young in the caring and gentle hands of Jenna's human family they went out for a short walk.

They didn't get more than a hundred yards away before Jenna attracted attention. Balto didn't like that yappy little female dog, whatever her name was, and decided to leave poor Jenna alone. She gave him a dirty look as he slunk away and left her for their questions, but whatever Jenna would do to him later would _not_ be as bad as having to endure _their _annoying voices.

Almost immediately Balto caught sight of the dog he'd been speaking to last night. Though it wasn't really Nova that caught his attention, it was the grey dog that was now stalking angrily away from her that his eyes followed. He watched the dog until it rounded a corner and disappeared.

"Who was that?"

Balto realized Jenna was back at his side again.

"I don't know, I've never seen him before."

That was a lie; at least Balto thought it was. He was certain he had seen that dog before. It looked eerily similar to the one he had seen in his vision last night. And there was another memory…

Balto shook that thought away and walked the ten feet to Nova. "Who was that?" he asked curiously, trying not to sound _too _curious.

"I don't know… he won't even tell me his name. But he needs help."

"Needs help?"

Nova nodded, "Yes. He's hurt, needs food, but he won't let me help him." She moved a bit closer to Balto, so she could speak softly. "I think something happened to him.

Balto nodded, pretty sure he knew what she meant. He looked back to Jenna and found her _still _staring off at where the dog had disappeared.

"Jen?"

She jumped a bit and faced him.

"Yes?" she spoke slowly.

"Do you think we should try to help him?"

Jenna took a deep breath. "We can't _make _him get help… if he wants to be left alone I think we should just leave him be."

But Balto knew that would not be possible. This canine _knew _something, and the wolf dog would not stop until he found out what.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A few days passed and no matter how much he tried, Balto just could not stop thinking about that dog. He'd only seen the canine four times in the past three days, and he had yet to find out _even _the name. Although he didn't know it until just a couple of minutes ago, the dog was watching _him _too.

Balto had been on his way to see Jenna after a morning walk, when he'd spotted it watching him from a nearby rooftop. Balto had spent almost all of his life evading and running from those that had always tried to hurt him, and thus considered himself an expert at evading.

But when he had tried to pursue this dog, Balto had found himself lost in less than thirty seconds. Whoever this was obviously had experience. A _lot _of it.

So Balto had slunk back to Jenna's, feeling disappointed and slightly angry at himself. That mood had quickly changed though, when he had learned that the pups had opened their eyes. All of the little red ones had brown eyes like their mother, but the little grey one had his yellow eyes. She truly was a reflection of him. She had already taken to making little howling noises, though they were more of short little yips. It worried him a bit.

What also worried him was how one of the red pups, the little one he and Jenna had named Kodiak hadn't grown too much. His brothers and sisters had grown substantially larger in just the one week they had been here, but little Kodiak had grown very little. His siblings had also taken to exploring their environment more, and the two parents often had to go chasing after some of them more than a few times. Kodi didn't do much of anything, except lie curled up, and he would let out short cries if he was left alone for too long. Needless to say, the two parents had their work cut out for them.

Balto almost wished he hadn't gone to see them, for as soon as he arrived Jenna glared at him.

"They kept me up _all night." _

Balto blinked.

"It's your turn to watch them. I am going to get some sleep."

Jenna didn't even wait for him to respond as she stalked into her home and disappeared, leaving the door shut behind her. Balto looked over at the door to the shed to find all six pups staring at him curiously.

Balto spent the next hour chasing them around. It wasn't that they were fast, but rather persistent. For as soon as he replaced one, he'd turn around to find another already half way across the yard. He'd go retrieve that one, and find two more trying to sneak away. Between chasing the pups and keeping Kodi company, Balto found himself tiring out pretty quickly.

_I don't know how she does it._

But despite the challenge, Balto found himself smiling. He felt _amazing. _He wouldn't miss these times for the world, and he was grateful that he was allowed to be here for all of them. He knew that in just a few short weeks they would all be taken away by human owners, perhaps even away from Nome. It just allowed him to enjoy what he was doing now all the more.

It also made him wonder though. What had _he _been like at their age? What had _his _parents thought? What kind of mischievous things had _he _done? Most of all, what had happened to his family? Balto shook the thoughts away and looked around. He sighed. _Every one _of them, except for Kodi, had run out during his musing. So Balto followed them out.

He really didn't see the harm in letting them stay outside. Why should he try to keep them from it? There was no where they could go except to the front yard, as a four foot wooden fence surrounded the yard, and it was in good shape with no gaps whatsoever. So Balto simply sat at the gate that allowed access into the front yard, and watched.

They crawled around the yard, sniffing and pawing at the newly growing grass and any insects they came across. It was amazing the innocent curiosity in each of them. He wondered where each of them would be a year from now. What would they be doing? Where would they be living? How many of them would he and Jenna still be able to see each day, if any?

It didn't take but an hour for the pups to tire themselves out, and each of them proceeded back into the shed when they grew tired. Balto smiled. They _were _learning. He observed as they arranged themselves on Jenna's bed, all cuddling together and letting out tiny sighs of contentment. After making sure none of them would be going anywhere for the time being, he let them sleep in peace and proceeded up onto the back step.

The sun was already setting, and Balto guessed it was probably around seven. Had it really been that long? He shrugged. Time flew by when you were having fun.

_Jenna must've been pretty tired._

She would be in for a present surprise if she came back out to see him.

The wolf dog jumped back as the back door opened, nigh on smacking him in the nose. Rosy strolled out, carrying a bowl of food presumably for him. It smelled amazing, whatever it was. Balto frowned though as he realized Jenna wasn't following.

"Hiya Balto!" The girl called as she ran her hand across his neck fur. She placed the shining silver bowl onto the ground for him, and was taking a step off the porch when a call from her mother stopped her.

"Get back in here; you've got to finish your homework!" Her mother called from inside the house.

"Can't I just see them for _five _minutes?"

"Maybe if you get _your_ work done."

Rosy trudged slowly back up to the house, mumbling about hating something called school and homework. Balto didn't pay much attention, and instead ate his meal. He was finished in about a minute, feeling a bit ashamed at that animalistic behavior. He was glad no one had been around to see it.

With nothing left to do, Balto moved around the house and sat out front. He paid close attention to the folks that were retiring into their own places for the night, hoping to catch a glimpse of the equivocal dog. Balto was surprised that he had forgotten about the creature, but grateful at the same time. He needed to find out who that was, and any little bit of information would help.

Balto sat vigilantly, but he didn't see any sign of the creature. Of course, it was very possible he could've moved on by now. He hoped that was _not _the case.

The wolf dog was just about to turn around when he caught glimpse of a shadow across the street. It moved quickly and quietly. Balto knew that he shouldn't go, but it felt like it was just _calling _out to him.

He watched closely as the figure walked down several blocks, before turning and disappearing between two houses. Balto waited a few moments before moving, slowly and carefully, after the figure. He moved to the gap he had seen the dog enter, and moved into it. He realized where he was.

There was a storage depot not far from here, and it was a place Balto himself had hid in more than a few times. He moved between the two houses and moved to the building behind them. It was about the size as the two houses combined, and was all one room. It had rickety wooden doors which squeaked when opened.

Balto saw that the left was still moving slightly on its hinges, emitting an almost inaudible squeak of metal on metal. Someone was in there, then. Two someones, actually, if the voices echoing out from inside were any sign. The wolf dog sat down to listen.

…

He moved swiftly and silently down the almost empty streets of Nome. He liked the town at this time. It was so serene, reminiscent of his former town. Before it had all gone to hell, anyway. He had developed a sort of relationship with the butcher man, who would give him any food he could. He was grateful for it.

He was _not _so grateful for Nova, however. She would _not _leave him alone. What did she want? What was so special about _him _that interested her so? But he had to give her credit, there had only been one other that had been as persistent as her. That didn't matter now, though. He didn't want anything to do with anyone.

He huffed and moved in between the two houses. He had found a building. Humans very rarely used it, and when they did, none of them paid him any heed. He left them alone, they let him stay. An acceptable arrangement, and the one he preferred. It was filled with old dusty objects and boxes, a perfect place to stay and hide.

Unfortunately, he already _knew _that Nova would be there waiting for him. It brought only the smallest smile to his face. She still hadn't even gotten his name. Tonight though, perhaps he'd make his proposal. It was a little one. He'd give her three questions, and she could ask whatever she wanted and he would answer truthfully. In return she would have to leave him be.

It sounded fair to _him, _but she was a different story. He sighed. There was only one way to find out.

He made his way between the two houses, and pushed through the left door of his _new _temporary home. And of course, there _she _was.

The lightly grey furred female looked calmly over to him as he entered. He turned to his left and moved between rows of dusty old crates, going to the far left side of the warehouse. Predictably, Nova followed.

"Hi."

He didn't answer.

"How are you?"

He blinked. "Horrible."

"Why?"

He moved away from her, clambering up onto one of the more sturdy crates and sitting atop it.

"Doesn't matter."

He could tell she was getting frustrated. "Of course it matters. Sometimes it helps to talk to strangers."

He blinked and cocked his head, as if considering her offer. "I'll make you a deal."

She nodded. "Go on."

"You can ask me _three _questions. I will answer each truthfully, but after that you will leave me be."

Nova's brow furrowed as she thought about it. She could just keep pressing him, but that hadn't brought about any results _so far_. So she reluctantly agreed. "Alright."

He waited impatiently. "Any time now…"

"What is your name?"

He waited a moment. Now he wasn't so certain. Maybe this deal _wasn't _such a good thing. A wry smile crossed Nova's face.

"Thinking on backing out? Come on, it's only a name."

"It's mine, and I hate it. Are you sure you want to waste one of your questions on that?"

"Well it _would _be nice to have something to call you."

"You're not going to _need _to call me anything! After this you're going to leave me be!"

Nova laughed. "But you still haven't answered the question."

"Jet."

"What?"

"Jet! That's my name!"

"Oh… I like it. Why do you hate it?"

"Is this your second question?"

Nova thought for a moment. "No, it isn't…"

He got off the crate so he could look directly into Nova's eyes rather than down on her. The female husky appeared to be deep in thought, and Jet realized he'd very much misjudged her. He'd expected she would simply waste her three questions on stupid questions, but that was not the case. She was giving thought into what she wanted to ask, and he realized that he might be getting himself into some serious trouble.

"Why are you… why don't you want to trust anyone?"

Jet ground his teeth a little, trying to decide just how to answer. "Because I was hurt before… I don't want to trust again if it just brings pain. I prefer just to be by myself. The only way I can get hurt then is by my own doing. So I only trust myself."

Nova took a breath. "Sorry," she said softly.

Jet shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

Nova's eyes narrowed. "Why do you keep saying that? And yes, this is my last question."

"Because I don't matter. You should be spending your time somewhere else instead of wasting it here on me. Time is a valuable thing, and once it's gone you can't get it back. I don't matter anymore. What I've done can't be changed."

Nova closed her eyes, "Alright." She spoke so softly he wasn't even sure he had heard her. But when he looked into her green eyes he saw sadness, and it struck a significant blow on Jet. It made him hurt in a way he hadn't felt for a _long _time.

"I'll leave you be now."

Nova didn't even wait for a response and simply made her way back to the door and left. Jet watched her go, trying to block out the hurt in him. Pain was weakness, and it was a weakness he didn't want.

Just as he took his eyes off the door, he heard it squeal open again and he figured it to be Nova. But it wasn't. A grey furred, yellow eyed wolf dog, the same one that had been watching him the last few days. Jet eyed him carefully, realizing that this canine had heard his entire conversation with Nova.

"Who are you?" Balto asked slowly.

"Who are you?" Jet shot back.

"You know who I am. You know _very well _who I am."

Jet nodded. "I do know who you are, Balto. You're pretty famous throughout the _country."_

The intensely sarcastic voice that Jet used didn't engender good feelings in Balto.

"So you know about me. Why not tell me a little about yourself?"

Jet smirked. "I know you were listening to my _conversation _with _her." _

Balto was losing patience, but he forced himself to remain calm. "You know about my past… _our _past. I want to know about it too. You're the only one who can tell me."

"That's true, Balto. I am bound by blood to you. I'm your brother. But that doesn't mean I'll tell you about our past."

Balto's heart rate went up. He had somehow already known his connection to this canine, but it hadn't really registered until he had heard the words aloud. It was funny, he thought as he looked over Jet, how completely different two siblings could be. Maybe Jet despised him... Balto suddenly felt very cold. Here was someone that could probably kill him very easily.

Jet seemed to know what he was thinking, and Balto swore he saw a flicker of sadness cross the others face.

"I am happy for you, Balto. You have everything I've ever dreamt of. You have a bright future ahead of you. So why waste it worrying about the past? The past is just that, passed. We can't change it. But you can control where you go from here."

Balto stared at him confusedly. "That doesn't answer anything!"

"It's not _supposed _to. I'm not going to answer your questions. I'm telling you to go. Go live your life."

Balto and Jet stood almost nose to nose for more than a minute, before the former gave in. Balto headed for the door, and stopped with his body half way out of it.

"I think you need to take some of your own advice. Stop living in the past, Jet."


	5. Chapter 5

(Sorry all for how long this took, and how comparatively short it is for such a great amount of time. Don't know how good this is gonna be, I did most of it quite a while ago. Hope it's good though. See y'all when I see ya again.)

Chapter 5

Jet couldn't see much, but he was sure he was still in Nome. It was likely a place that didn't really exist though. He knew he was in a dream. He was between two buildings, but they seemed to be closing in on him, trying to trap him. He ran.

Jet didn't get further than two steps before something cold, metallic, and flexible wrapped around his neck, stopping him immediately. His momentum caused his head to jerk back and his still moving back legs forward, and he landed hard on his back. A human figure stood over him, though its face was obscured by a black mask.

The person clasped a leather glove clad hand around his muzzle, and with his other hand lifted the chain until Jet was hanging by his neck before the human. He coughed and sputtered, trying to get the much needed air into his body. But it seemed with every breath he took, the chain just tightened around his neck.

His captor released his muzzle and punched Jet just below his ribs, causing him to raggedly release any air that had been left in his lungs. The person hit him twice more, before slamming him to the ground. Jet was then dragged, unable to breathe, until he was in an open area. A few more people stood waiting for him, as well as two dog. All of the men were masked, but one held a long object that glinted in the dim light.

_A rifle._

His eyes went wide and he thrashed about like a fish out of water, all the while being choked and dragged to the other figures. His vision blurred, but suddenly the tension around his neck was loosened. He sucked in the oxygen and struggled to his feet.

He was still constrained by the chain, which had now been attached to a stake that had been securely slammed into the ground. The man holding the rifle leveled it at him, finger moving to the trigger. One of the two dogs took a step towards him. Jet growled at the sight.

"There's so much I want to say, but I don't have time to say it." She said tauntingly, "So I've two words for you. Good bye."

Jet exhaled.

_Bang!_

...

_Bang!_

"Oh... ow…"

Jet brought his right forepaw up and rubbed it gently across the lump on his head, blowing out a long breath as he did so. He crawled slowly out of the smallish box-cave he'd gone to sleep in, and glared at the offending wooden crate angrily. It seemed to stare back at him smugly.

He considered knocking it over, but thought the better of it. That wouldn't solve anything. Instead he made his way outside, where he greeted the dawn with his usual apathy. But despite his seeming lack for concern on the outside, Jet's emotions were running overtime on the inside. He thought about what he'd been told last night.

_Stop living in the past._

One part of him _wanted_ to take heed to that advice. Jet wished he could just forget about everything that had happened, leave it behind him, and start knew. But the other part of him knew that would likely be impossible.

With all of the blood that was on his paws, there was no way he'd be forgotten. Even if he managed to put it behind him, as soon as he did so though, it would catch up to him. They'd find him eventually and… well; it'd be just like his dream. They'd kill him. He just didn't see how it could end any other way.

It wasn't really fair though. Jet had never _asked _for any of it. It hadn't even been his fault! They had been the ones to come after him first, they had all gotten what they had deserved! But, of course, the humans didn't see it that way. They thought of him as a horrible killer, just because of his blood, the half wolf. Jet sighed. There wasn't anything he could do about that.

It made him angry. Anger was an emotion he had become all too familiar with, and it came about him easily. He almost loved the power it brought to him, when he became so very angry. It made him feel invincible. Jet knew, deep down inside of him, that that was wrong. But anymore, he didn't care. Anger and hate were the two emotions he still kept. Anything else he kept surpressed.

Jet took his gaze off his paws, where it had been the entire time he'd been walking.

"Wow."

He found himself on the east side of Nome. Beyond the outskirts of the town were the same grassy slopes he'd first approached from. Beyond that was the forest, poking up even further beyond _that, _were the snowcapped peaks of several mountains. The morning sun was still partially hidden by said mountains. The sky and few clouds that hovered around the peaks were painted a majestic pinkish red.

In an instant, all of the hate for those in the past was gone. Quenched, like water on fire.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

Jet didn't look toward Balto, and after a pause, he nodded slowly.

"It is." Jet turned his head to look into Balto's eyes. "If you're here to try to get me to tell you, you might as well walk away right now."

Balto sighed, assumedly with sadness. "I expected you'd say that, but that's not what I was going to ask about at all."

Jet flicked his right ear. "Then what _were _you going to ask me about?"

Balto smiled at him. "I was going to ask how you're doing."

Jet frowned. "How I'm doing?"

"Yes. How are you doing?"

"Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't, was just wondering. You don't have to take everything so serious all the time."

Those words made Jet think. "Well, I'm doing okay I guess."

_Except for the fact that you're a wanted criminal who is going to be shot on sight. I'm doing pretty well if you don't count that._

"Good." Balto said.

Jet supposed he should return the question. "So… how are you doing?"

Balto laughed a little. "Never been better, friend. You were right last night. I don't need to worry about what happened back then. It would be nice to know… but, I couldn't change any of it."

Jet nodded, and Balto continued.

"But I can control how I raise my family. I can give them something I, _we _never had. I'd like you to be a part of it."

He didn't show any reaction on the outside, but on the inside it felt like Jet's heart had skipped a few beats. Jet studied Balto's face.

"You sure that you _trust _me?"

"Yes."

He studied Balto's tone for any hint of uncertainty. He found none.

"What do you say?"

Jet shrugged, "I don't really know how be with pups…"

"Neither do I. It's a learning experience." Balto's voice took a more mischievous tone, "And it'll be good practice for when you have your own…"

Jet was horror-struck at _that _prospect. "That isn't _ever _going to happen."

Despite the seriousness with which Jet spoke, there was a slight amount of playfulness in his words as well, and Balto picked up on it. He flashed his brother a quick smile.

"We'll see about _that."_


	6. Chapter 6

(Not sure I like this _new _fanfiction, or whatever kind of updates they did. I think this is a run-on chapter, but I felt it would be better to keep it all together rather than splitting it up. Besides, felt I owed it to make this a little longer after the shortness of the previous one. Hopefully it's decent.)

Chapter 6

Balto was in fact weary of Jet. He knew next to nothing about his sibling, only that something or a number of things had occurred to make Jet the way he now was. Balto couldn't even imagine living like that. Sure, he had been through some pretty tough times, but he'd always had his friends.

Jet didn't seem like he'd had anyone. Balto wondered if it was because he _knew _what had happened. Had that scarred him and hurt him this much? Was this also why he didn't want to share what he knew? Or perhaps it was another thing. Maybe he'd never gotten over being a half-bred canine.

He shook those thoughts away. This was not the time to be wondering about it. Jet was a smart one, and would probably pick up on his train of thought if he allowed it to continue. Balto didn't want him or need him to know of the mistrust.

But there seemed to be another part to him, however small it was, that Balto could trust with his life. It was also the part that seemed to be calling out for help. It was this side of his perplexing sibling that Balto hoped he was appealing to. If he made a bad impression, he would be just as well to forget about Jet.

"So… why did you come here?" Balto inquired hesitantly. He needed to keep Jet talking.

"Ah, it's a _long _story."

"We got time."

Jet's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "And it's one I don't really want to tell. I suppose you'll be finding out about it soon enough, though. Let's just say I… stumbled upon the town."

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Heard about you from the _newspaper-" _he put an accent on the human term"- and you're quite famous. I haven't heard of any other _Balto's _before, so I assumed it was you."

"Is that why you came here, to find me?"

"No. This was just the way I happened to choose, didn't have time to think about it."

Balto nodded. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

Jet stopped and stared at the ground for a moment, before looking back up and staring Balto down. "Why do you want to help me?"

Balto didn't think he'd ever heard a more ridiculous question in his life. "Do you expect me to just leave you be how you are?"

Jet looked away. "It would be better that way…" he muttered softly.

"Why do you say that?"

A sudden fire lit up in Jet's blue eyes. "Because I've done a lot of bad things, Balto. I don't want to get you or your family hurt or in trouble… for helping someone like me."

Balto took a deep breath and let it out slowly, contemplating what to say next. He began again, calmly and deliberately. "I don't know what you've done but, like you said to me. _Stop living in the past. _It's over now, whatever went on. You can't change it, but you can change your future."

Balto stopped for a minute, hoping his words were having some effect on Jet. He continued on. "If you were going to die in a month, how would you want to feel before it happened. Would you want to die knowing you just sat around _wasting _your time, or would you rather go satisfied? Knowing that you tried?"

…

Jet thought it ironic the scenario Balto had chosen to speak of, because it was very possible that would happen. He could very well be dead in a month. It struck him hard, and he hated to admit that, even to himself.

He had no fears of dying, that was what he had been telling himself the entire time. Yet for some reason, instead of just letting them catch and kill him, he'd kept running. Fighting. Hoping. Maybe it was just instinct; the natural will that all creatures had to stay alive. To keep fighting, even when the odds were so stacked against them.

But maybe, just maybe, it was something more. Maybe he could change the way he lived. Jet stopped once more, and closed his eyes tightly. He made himself a promise then and there, that he would change the way he lived. He wanted to die feeling satisfied, knowing he'd had a purpose, however small it was.

…

Jet was introduced to Balto's mate, a red and white furred husky that went by the name of Jenna. He could see the attraction between the two, and it made him feel just that little bit better. But there was something off about Jenna.

He was hesitant to say it was mistrust, though he could tell she was weary of him. It was more of the surprise factor. Jenna hadn't seemed one bit surprised when her mate had told her, almost as if she had known about Jet before Balto had. He supposed that Balto had spoken to her about him _before _he'd actually met her. But he had seen recognition flash in her eyes the moment she'd seen him, which was strange because there was _no way _she could know about him… unless someone had told her.

_No, that's not possible… is it?_

Jet knew very well that their _father _was still alive, and he very much despised the dog because of it. That was also the reason Jet had changed his name. He hated the name they'd given him, so he made it different. Now he hated _this _name too.

Storm had seen fit to just _leave _his two sons on their own. He knew it was unfair and unjust to blame Storm for what had occurred to separate the family, but he had never come looking for either of them. But why would Storm only talk to Jenna, and not to Balto? Maybe he was wrong about his memories.

"You ready to go see them?"

Jet sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his brother's family, because he did. He just wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.

"I'm ready whenever…"

Balto gave him a knowing look. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

The two treaded over the green grass and around to the back yard portion of the home. The yard was fenced in completely, aside from the gap they'd used to enter. Inside the yard were six small, but steadily growing pups.

Five had Jenna's looks, and one had the grey, more wolf-like look of Balto. She was stalking through the green grass, toward an unsuspecting white butterfly. It sat on a small purple flower, flicking its wings slowly.

"She's got the wolf in her." Jet said quietly to Balto, pointing with his nose toward the grey pup.

Balto nodded. "That's Alue, and you're right about that. She's got too much wolf in her, that's what I'm afraid of."

Jet cocked his head. "Why are you afraid of it?"

"Because no human will want her if she acts like a wolf."

"Who says she _has _to live with humans?"

Balto didn't answer that, because he couldn't. Since he now lived peacefully with the human town, he had assumed that all of his pups would be too. But that might not be the case. Balto didn't really cherish the idea of one of his offspring alone in the wild though.

"Sorry." Jet spoke sincerely, keeping his eyes away from his brother.

Balto shook the thoughts away. "Don't be, because you're right. It's just… I don't want them to get hurt…"

Jet could understand that. He knew Balto had had a difficult life before his proving during the serum run, and he wanted to give the pups everything he _had not _had. Love and support of a family were just two of those things.

But they were wolf-dogs as well. With _six _pups, there was bound to be at least one that acted more like a wolf. That one seemed to be Alue. Jet observed the other pups were curious as well, but none of them were showing as much of a wolf-like nature as she was.

Alue was unsuccessful in catching her butterfly, but as Jet watched she even tried to howl a couple of times as well. It didn't take more than ten minutes though, for the pups to notice there was a new being in their _'territory'. _

They were used to seeing their father and mother, as well as the three humans that accompanied their parents, but they had never seen anyone else. So Jet was something strange and foreign to all of them. At first they were naturally weary, but after they saw that their father seemed to be on good terms with this strange new being, they were curious enough to approach him.

Alue, driven by her wolf side curiosity was the first. She came forth, almost as though she was in a trance. The grey female stared up at him, her yellow eyes huge and full of wonder. She stuck her nose up at him, and Jet, not knowing what else to do bent his own muzzle down and touched noses with her.

She blinked a few times before yawning. She then curled herself up at Jet's paws, and rested her tiny head on his left.

Jet heard a gasp come from Jenna, who he hadn't noticed was also out in the yard with them. "I'll be… never expected such a thing could happen…"

If Jet had been clueless before, he _surely _was now. "Uhm… what do I do now?"

"I really don't know, Jet. You can move her off I suppose…"  
As much as he wanted to, he just couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. So Jet lie down on the grass himself, allowing Alue to sleep on him for as long as she wished. It turned out to be about an hour. After that he became sort of a play thing.

Seeing their sister's bravery, the others began to approach him. They did the same as her, staring up at him with their wide, innocent little eyes. They didn't remain innocent very long, though.

The smallest, a red male by the name of Kodiak was the next to make a move. He crawled atop of Jet, and took his uncle's ear in his mouth.

"Kodi!" Jenna scolded.

Jet sighed. "It's alright."

"Just wait until they start teething."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to _that." _Though Jet's voice was full of sarcasm, there was a growing amount of humor as well. Maybe he really could change.

He spent roughly another half hour allowing himself to be crawled upon and attacked. At any other time, Jet would've surely been annoyed, but this was something different. He didn't really mind it at all. But of course he did mind the time, and Jet had someone he wanted to see.

He wasn't so sure that she'd want to see _him, _though. Now that he thought about it, he'd been not-so-nice to her. Balto and Jenna had managed to coax their young away from Jet with food, allowing him to make a hasty escape, lest he be caught up in even more trouble.

Balto and Jenna bid him a quick farewell, both saying that they were looking forward to seeing him again. Jet was sure that they both meant it. Besides, his curiosity had him running. Jet wanted to find out what, if anything, Jenna knew about him.

But he put those questions away for now, for he had someone to hunt down. He wished he would have asked where to find her, but he knew he would eventually. Either that or she'd find him. Jet just hoped he hadn't already driven her away.

…

He searched everywhere he could think of, and had come up empty. Someone he had ask had been so kind as to tell him that Nova didn't have a home human home, and there wasn't really a set place to find her. You just had to get lucky. It made Jet feel even worse about the way he'd been.

There was someone that had _not-very-much, _if anything, and was for some strange reason trying – _correction – _had been trying to help him. He wondered what had happened in her life. He hoped he could talk to her, find out more about her, and maybe help?

Jet sighed. He was getting ahead of himself. He could only do that _if _he found her and _if _she was still willing to speak to him.

But at the moment, it didn't seem like he'd find her. It really was ironic.

_Ah well. It's probably for the better that I don't find her, _he thought with some amount of disappointment. The sun was just about down. He probably wouldn't find her today.

"Hi Jet."

The canine in question turned himself around so fast he was a blur, and he even surprised himself.

"Didn't think you'd be out so late." Nova said, sounding like she expected him to just shove her away again.

"Yeah, well," Jet cursed himself. He'd forgotten how _hard _it was to do this. And her now curious eyes focused on him made it even worse. "Well… I was actually, uh, looking for you."

"Looking for _me?" _Nova spoke incredulously. He couldn't blame her.

"Uh… yeah."

Nova blinked a couple times, as though she wasn't quite sure if he had _actually _said that.

"Well… you found me," she said uncertainly.

_Yeah… I did._

This was the really tough part. He had no idea what to say now.

"I… don't know what to say except… sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

Jet gestured for her to follow him. She did, and both of them made their way to the edge of town. The closest edge was the west end, so that was where they went.

In the fading light of the sun, everything here was shadow covered and silent, so Jet stopped there to watch the setting sun. Nova was on his left, unsure and he could sense, slightly weary.

"I did do a lot of things. I should have been… _nicer _to you."

"Nicer to me?"

Jet nodded solemnly. "Yes. Someone told me you don't even have a home…"

Nova was quiet a moment. "That's right. I don't."

"So then why did you want to help me… you've got enough to worry about with your _own _life."

"But that's not me Jet… I can't just let someone sit there."

"Well… thank you."

Nova's eyes got wider, and she shot him a warm smile. "You're welcome Jet."

He was uncertain about what to say next, and it showed. Jet shuffled his paws noisily, trying not to stare too long at one thing.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Nova asked, hoping to relieve some of his obvious tension.

"A… a walk…?"

"Ya. Just down to the shore, it's getting dark."

He was about to ask what the point of that was, but he stopped to think about it. The short trip wasn't really for the _actual _act of walking or moving, but just something to do to spend time together. Jet nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go."

The entire air surrounding Nova seemed to light up, and it brought yet another emotion to his heart. Happiness. It wasn't a very large amount, but enough to bring a rare smile to his face. Nova set off moving across towards the sandy shore. Jet kept up with her easily, and Nova shot him a glance.

"Jet! You look fantastic!"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "I uh… what?"

Nova felt blood rush into her cheeks, warming them drastically. "I mean, you look like you've healed well." The lack of her commonplace excited and happy tone was a little strange, but he decided to ignore it.

Jet stopped a moment to glance down at himself. He frowned. He hadn't even noticed. "I suppose I have."

Her usual tones returned. "Silly," she laughed.

His frown deepened. _He _didn't see what was so funny.

It only took them a couple more minutes to reach the shore. The tang of salt was heavy in the air, and the water calm. Only the barest of waves lapped at their paws. The sun had already set behind the salty sea, but there was still enough light to make the water in the distance appear a fiery red.

"That's neat…" Jet whispered. One of the hopes he'd had early in life had been to one day see the sea. If only a year ago someone would've told him he would be seeing it with someone like Nova… he didn't even know what he would have thought.

_Wait a second…_

Someone like Nova? Where had _that _come from? Jet's mind struggled for an answer, but it couldn't come up with anything. So he just let it slip away.

"It is neat. Is this your first time?"

Jet nodded. "Yes."

"I'm glad you allowed me to be here, then."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Silence reigned after that, and both sat and watched as the last light from the sun gradually faded away. It left them in the pale light of the moon and stars. They watched for a while longer, the reflection of the night sky made blurry by the water. Neither made a sound the entire time, until Nova yawned.

The two offered each other quiet goodbyes, before going their own way. It left Jet feeling strange inside, and he hoped he would get to see her again. The sooner the better.


	7. Chapter 7

(I had fun writing this one out. Hope it's a decent chapter. See you all when I see ya again. May try to get one more update in before school starts again (in nine days now) but we'll see. Enjoy!)

Chapter 7

The next seven days were a time of major change for Jet. He was relearning all of the things he had so readily forgotten. Compassion, trust, and most importantly, _social ability. _His brother played a big part in that, as did Balto's family. He began to enjoy his time spent playing with their pups. He didn't mind one bit being crawled on and bitten.

Though the pups were finally teething, it didn't bother him. They were actually now learning how to form words. He took delight in listening to them form their words, and wondered how much longer it would be before they were speaking full sentences.

Jet suspected it wouldn't be much longer than a week's time, if that. It was truly remarkable how fast they progressed. Jet, though he cared for all the puppies with equal affection, had to say that he enjoyed Kodi's company the most.

The young dog had finally begun to grow, and although there was still a noticeable size difference between he and the rest, Kodi was growing stronger and healthier each day. Jet liked the shy nature of the pup, and the innocent curiosity in his eyes when he saw his uncle.

Jet hoped that he would be able to watch Kodi grow, and see his change from a young pup to a mature adult.

The other thing, or rather _canine, _that helped Jet substantially, was Nova. He spent a good portion of his time with her, and enjoyed it. She introduced him to quite a few other canines, all of which welcomed him with open paws.

Some of the nicest were Balto's friends, the few that had been with his brother on their _legendary _serum run. The two named Nikki and Kaltag were kind, and the other, Star, was as well.

From them however Jet learned about someone that was _not-so-kind._ Steele. Jet noticed that even the _mere mention _of that name enraged a lot of canines, most notably the canines with children in their families.

It enraged him too, once he found out. How someone could be _willing _to sacrifice _innocent children _for the sake of _their own _reputation… it built up a tense fire inside of Jet. Steele sounded like someone he would like to meet in a back alley. Though after he heard from Balto, it sounded like his sibling had done more than enough damage to keep Steele away for a while.

It still didn't stop Jet from hoping, however.

On the morning of his first full week of what Nova and Balto dubbed his _recovery_, Jet woke to the sound of moderately falling rain, tapping serenely against the roof over his head.

Jet sat up and slowly stretched, his claws scrabbling weakly on the well warn wooden floor beneath him. Balto had been so kind as to allow Jet to stay at his old home. It was a rickety old wooden fishing boat, not too big in size, which had been left to rot about fifty feet away from the shore of the sea.

There Jet had met three other of Balto's friends. A goose by the name of Boris, and two polar bears named Muk and Luk. (A/N – how these two are cubs in _all three _movies is beyond me, but I'm just gonna keep it that way.)

The polar bears were slightly annoying, as they had almost choked the life out of Jet when he had first met them, but they were two that were honest and compassionate. Boris held the same qualities. Balto had confessed that the goose had been a father figure to him as he had grown. It was slightly amusing, but Jet could see why Balto had turned out the way he had.

The three unlikely friends of his, however agitating they were, were good folks.

However today Jet was the only being present on the boat, so he relished his time. The tang of salt was in the air, heavier than usual today. The rain may have had something to do with it.

The sky was for the most part an overcast grey, all of the clouds seeming to move as one. There were small breaks here or there, allowing only the smallest rays of sunlight to shine down onto the earth. Jet padded slowly out of the boat's small cabin room, standing out on the deck.

The rain soaked through his fur in only a matter of a few minutes, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. It had been so long since he had indulged in such a plain activity as this, and he liked it quite a bit. The last time he had done this, it had been the day when – Jet shut his eyes tightly, willing the memory to go away.

He had to remember, she was nothing to him anymore, and he was nothing to _her _anymore. This was his life now. He didn't need to be living in the past.

In defiance of his will, the memory would not go away. So instead of blocking it out, Jet allowed himself to succumb to the warm and happy time.

…

_Jet sat alone at the top of a hill. The rain was coming down at a moderate rate, but thanks to the lone tree he sat under he didn't feel a drop. The hill was the tallest point around. Behind him, the moderate slope led down to a decent sized town, the town that had been Jet's home for nearly all his life. _

_But before him, that was the real treat. It was a mild slope led down to a stream about a hundred yards off. The stream was flowing steadily, almost overflowing with the abundance of water. Beyond that was more tundra. Only a few trees dotted the landscape, a landscape that extended out as far as the eye could see. It kept on going until it met a mountain range in the distance. White snow still covered the pointed peaks, some of which were partially obscured by the grey clouds that hung overhead. _

_Newly growing flowers and grasses populated the tundra, and all of it combined together made for perhaps the most beautiful sight Jet had ever seen. _

_He heard someone coming up behind him, though he didn't bother to turn and see who it was, for he already knew._

_Minerva was one of the many friends he had made, and it had been a complete accident that the two had even met. When he had first arrived at the town, no one had cared for him. He was just a lost wolf dog. His being impure had caused him a lot of hate, though he had never fought back. He would always just lie there and take the punishment. He was the 'untouchable' of their town. And as such, he was often made the subject of others' jokes. This was how Minerva and he had met._

_She had been with some of her friends. The group had made a bet with each other. Jet had never been told what the bet was about, all he knew was that the loser's consequence was to speak with him, and ask him on a date._

_Well, Minerva had been that loser. Whether she had lost on purpose or not was still a mystery to him, but either way he was glad she had. She had been the key factor in helping him become accepted to the town. After Jet gained the trust of Minerva's family, the other townsfolk began to see he wasn't some blood thirsty monster, and accepted him as well. The dogs followed shortly after._

_He had made a lot of friends, but there was still a group that didn't like him. In fact, they despised him. It was all thanks to one dog. This dog was named Silva. Why they chose to replace the 'er' with an 'a' when naming him puzzled Jet, because the dog was almost completely silver, except for his green irises. He always claimed that Minerva was 'his', one of the few things that enraged Jet. One of the few things that made him want to fight._

_Minerva and later the others were always there to coax him out of that feeling, however. And for that he was grateful. Without them it was very possible he'd be nothing but a fur coat for some exquisite rich person half way across the globe._

_He and she had grown close, closer than friends. Best friends even. Jet had never felt love before, but he was pretty sure that was what he felt about her. His only problem was fear. An irrational fear that she didn't love him in return, and that if he confessed she would, at very least, not want to see him again._

_Anyone looking upon the two could tell that Minerva was very fond of him in return. But often the last two to know of the feeling were the two experiencing it. This was not the cae for Minerva. She felt the same way about Jet, and was only waiting for him to say the three simple words. By losing a simple bet she had discovered a quality friend. An enjoyable one. Someone that brought joy to her life in a way no one else could._

_That was why he had asked her to meet him up here today, so he could finally say something. Jet had to get it off of his chest. He had to know._

_When Minerva arrived at his left side, she touched his cheek softly with her nose. He turned so he could return the expression. That alone should've revealed her feelings, but that was never the way these things worked._

_At a lack of what to say, Jet simply allowed his eyes to drift over her body. She was a darker furred, almost black husky. She had only a slight bit of crème on her belly, around her eyes and up underneath her chin. Her amber eyes showed all of her happiness, and she shot him a smile. He returned it._

"_You remembered." He said happily, albeit slightly hesitant._

"_Of course I did. I like my time with you."_

_Jet's heart skipped a beat. He looked out over the tundra, transfixing his eyes unto the silhouetted mountains far off in the distance. Minerva noticed his gaze and fixed her eyes upon it too._

"_It is beautiful up here, isn't it?"_

_Jet shrugged. "Not as beautiful as you." He instantly regretted his choice of words, and he felt his cheeks flush with heat. However instead of chastising him Minerva smiled. She liked how bashful Jet was about his compliments._

_He had lowered his gaze to his paws. Minerva used her left to bring his head back up, and he gasped._

"_Jet." She said softly._

"_Ye… ye.. yeah?" He stammered._

"_Thanks. For the compliment."_

_She saw his eyes widen in shock and surprise._

"_Oh. You're welcome."_

_Minerva giggled, and a sudden change came about her. She smirked playfully at Jet, before lunging at him. Jet, who had been completely oblivious to what was about to happen hadn't had any time at all to prepare for the blow. _

_It wasn't hard, but it was enough to get both of the two rolling down the hill. The grass wet with rain soaked Jet's fur, but as he came to a halt, it didn't matter. He lie on his back with Minerva atop him, staring down into his blue eyes._

_And from out of nowhere, Jet found his courage._

"_I love you." He said it with such emotion, it was flattering. If he had been blushing before his cheeks were on fire, and his eyes were clinched tightly shut, waiting for what seemed like an eternity for Minerva's response._

"_I love you too, Jet."_

_He opened his left eye slowly. "Really?"_

"_Yes really. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to hear those words?"_

_Jet shook his head. "No."_

"_A long time." _

_Minerva gave his right cheek a slow, affectionate lick._

_He returned it, and then it was done._

…

Jet put his right forepaw onto his cheek, and sighed contentedly, as though he could still feel her warmth all around him. A slight bit of water began to form around the edges of his eyes, but Jet pushed it away. He did _not _need to be caught crying.

Minerva didn't matter to him anymore. What had happened was in the past. Jet didn't need to think about it anymore. But try as he might, he could not stop himself. Hot water began to make its way down his face, staining his grey fur.

He rubbed his cheek, the same one that was now marred with scratches, hoping to cherish the warmth of the memory, but yet wanting it to go away. Eventually it did, much to his excitement and disappointment.

He fell to the hard wood deck, lying on his stomach and resting his head on the wood. His forepaws covered his eyes as he let out the remainder of his emotion.

…

Josh Solomon was a seventy-one year old man. He was the operator of Nome's sole telegraph, a job he enjoyed. Many asked him how he could stand to sit there all day. His usual reply was a laugh and a comment something along the lines of _'I can stand to sit here all day because I'm not standing. I'm sitting.'_

The job had gotten hectic for about a month after the now famous Balto's heroic deeds. He'd had telegrams coming in from all over the country, even from across the world, asking all sorts of questions. Only last week had it at last begun to calm down.

Though it had been tough, Josh still enjoyed it. The pay was very little, but it was enough to get him by. He was one of the eldest citizens of Nome, and he planned on staying until he died.

Now he sat alone in his small room, the room that tripled as his telegram office, resting room, and kitchen. The telegram machine was closest to the door, and the kitchen area was just beyond that. It wasn't much, just a sink, a wood burning stove and oven. The oven had double use as the heater for his room in the winter as well.

On the left side of the room was well worn but sturdy chair, beside it a small stand with a small collection of books stored inside of it.

Josh sat on his chair, sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee, the smell of which was still strong in the air, reading his bible. Josh had never considered himself a religious man, but as he got older he felt the need to make peace with God. For at this age, he never knew when he might go. It was very possible he could go to sleep one night and not wake up in the morning.

He was just turning a page when he heard the telegram machine come to life. He listen to it click and tap as the message was written out on a special piece of paper. Joshua would take a look at it after it was done.

The tapping went on for a few more minutes, before ending. Joshua finished the page in his bible before setting it down on the stand. He took the paper the message was in before inserting a fresh piece.

He adjusted his glasses and read when the message said, eyes widening and heart beat quickening as he read the first few words.

_Warning! Dangerous canine on the loose! Last known direction – north-west. Description – fairly good sized male. Dark grey fur, blue eyes. Crimes charged with – two human deaths and eleven dogs. A vicious and blood thirsty wolf-dog. If seen, capture/restrain him. Kill only if necessary._

Josh could understand the last part. They didn't want to kill the wrong dog. His eyes flicked to the last part, and he finished it quickly.

_If he is restrained, contact us. We will identify him. Warn the people of Nome to be on the lookout. Dog is not to be messed around with. May or may not respond to it – name is Jet._


	8. Chapter 8

(Two chapters in less than 24 hours... I'm on a roll. I've had a sudden urge to write, and it's all I've been doing in my free time. Of course, it helps when more than half of this was typed out before hand... but still. If I get enough done, this may be finished a lot sooner than I expected. Anyways, hope it's good.

And another thing, I have also decided to remove TCS. I've had a major change of plans in what I want to happen after this one, so that story will no longer be available to read. I have a basis for what I want to happen, just need to think it out some more. And it will be in a way that it fits with the movies. So I don't have to worry about the issues. I hope you all are okay with it.)

Chapter 8

Balto meandered along, proceeding to the boat that had once and sometimes still served as his home. The rain from earlier had passed leaving a substantial amount of water behind. The sand on which he walked had been packed down neatly, and he left a clear trail of paw prints behind him. It was still cloudy, but the temperature was slightly warmer, but not too warm as to be unpleasant.

A single plank was propped up against the boat, allowing Balto to cross it carefully and clamber up to the boat's deck. He had left Jet here the previous night. His brother was supposed to have been over to his home by noon, and it was already past three. So naturally Balto wondered what held Jet up, so he decided to come out here to check on his sibling.

It wasn't hard to find Jet. In fact, he spotted Jet within the first two seconds of looking.

His brother lay sprawled out on the deck. He lie flat on his stomach, his paws covering his eyes. His fur was messy and sticking out in different directions, looking like he had been soaked by the earlier rain and hadn't ever bothered to dry himself out properly. If Jet knew about Balto's presence, he didn't show it.

So Balto moved quietly to his brother's left side, and placed a gentle paw on his shoulder.

Jet sat up in less than a second, brushing Balto's paw off and staring wide eyed at him. Balto took a step back. Jet took a few breaths before blinking and shaking his head.

"Oh… Balto."

Jet had two lines stained into his fur just below his eyes which ran almost all the way down his face, and it concerned Balto. But he didn't quite know what to think.

"Is… everything alright?" Balto asked, trying not to seem prying.

Jet exhaled a long, heavy sigh. "I don't know."

Balto simply continued. "I was just worried… because you were supposed to be over to our home by noon… and you never showed up."

Jet frowned. "What time is it?"

"Last I checked it was past three. Probably nearer to four now, with the time it took me to walk here."

Jet seemed to shake off whatever it was that had been plaguing him, and he wiped the stains away from his eyes with a paw. "Ugh… I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I just wanted to be sure you were okay."

"Yes… I'm okay." There was no sarcasm in Jet's reply. But Balto could sense that everything was not okay. Jet was trying hard to hide whatever it was that had hurt him, but he couldn't keep it from Balto.

But Balto, again, didn't want to pry. Jet had been doing so well the past week, it would be a shame to upset or anger him by trying to push too far. Balto would wait until Jet was comfortable sharing whatever had happened to him. And if he never wanted to share it, Balto could understand that as well. It was in the past; the unchangeable past.

So Balto nodded approvingly and decided to change the subject. "Kodi will be glad to see you."

This seemed to improve Jet's mood slightly, for he replied with a hopeful, "He will?"

"Yes. He has taken to you quite strongly."

"_I hope not." _

Jet's low voice had made it hard for Balto to know for certain if that was what had actually been said.

"Why do you say that?"

Jet shook his head. "Forget it."

Balto stepped in front of Jet, forcing him to stop. The thoughts that had gone through his brain a mere minute ago were gone. He suddenly decided he had put up with enough of this kind of talk.

"_No. _I'm _not _just going to _forget it. _Now what happened to you? What's bothering you?"

Jet took on a dark tone, perhaps the darkest Balto had ever heard. "It _does not _matter. _It is _in the _past."_

Balto knew he shouldn't do it, but he kept pushing. "It's in the past, but you're having trouble leaving _it there. _It's still _bothering _you, _hurting you. _What the _hell_ happened?"

Jet's breath and heart rate quickened with anger. "You want to know what happened. You want to _fucking _know?!" His tone changed from one of high pitched anger to an eerie calm. "I'll tell you what happened."

…

_The temperature was at a point significantly below freezing, but his thick winter fur ensured he didn't feel it to its fullest extent. His breath turned into steam as he exhaled, and the vapor spread out into the chilled air before vanishing. Snow fell at a significant rate, adding to the snow already covering the ground and all of the human buildings around him. _

_Dark grey clouds from which the snow fell blocked out any light the night sky might have given him, but that didn't bother Jet, for he knew he was almost at his home. He turned left at a crossroads, and at the very end of this street down six houses was a picturesque cabin. It was only four rooms, but that was enough for him. The family in the house was one of the few that had trusted him enough to allow him into their home._

_Though they were a big reason as to why he so cherished that home, Minerva was the larger reason. She was their family pet, and had been the first to ever try to speak to him, in a kind way at least. It brought warm feeling to Jet, thinking of her. _

_Since he was a half wolf, he was mistrusted and hated. No one even dared try to speak to him, unless it was to tease or harass him. Minerva was the first to try to change that. After that losing bet was over, she could have just walked away, but she hadn't. What that dog had seen in him still puzzled him, but she had refused to let him alone. _

_With not a single being around that cared in the slightest, he had fallen into an apathetic and emotionless trance. He never fought, but every time he had been hurt or tortured it had just pushed him further into his trance. _

_His Minerva had once again, changed that. With her persistence, she had taught him what fun was. She had been his only friend. The dog had lost a lot of her popularity because of choice to spend time with him, but she never seemed to care or be bothered by it. Minerva's trust had been the basis of his acceptance into her human family, along with their two young kids._

_That trust had taken quite a while to build up, but once he had gotten it, things had improved drastically. When people heard about and saw how Jet treated and acted with the family, folks had begun to trust him. It had just been a giant snowball effect that had started with Minerva, and her losing the bet. _

_After the humans, dogs had begun to befriend him, and soon Jet found himself surrounded by friends and acquaintances. He was still allowed to wander and run free, an effect of his wolf side. Minerva's family would allow him to come and go as he pleased, which made him happy. But all of this was minute in comparison to Minerva. A few weeks ago, Jet had told her he loved her. _

_Minerva had told him she loved him in return. Though he was still puzzled at what she had seen in him, the simple statement had completed Jet's life, and for the next month he had lived in harmony. _

_He found it funny how all of that could change in less than a day's time. There were still those that despised him, and they made it very clear that that was the case. Minerva had always told him just to ignore them, so he did. But there was no way he could ignore them tonight._

_As Jet neared his home, he was certain he could see several figures waiting for him. The warmth that had been radiating inside of him quickly morphed into a cold fear as he realized what would happen. As he neared the house, Jet could see Minerva standing among the figures. There were six of them, aside from her._

_Her eyes shown with hate, an emotion he had never seen from her before. And it was directed at him._

"_Minerva?" He asked uncertainly._

_The response had come physically. Three of the six had immediately jumped on him. Jet wasn't much for fighting, but this angered him. These dogs were trying to come between he and his mate. But instead of helping him, Minerva had hurt him. When he had pushed one figure away she came in after him. Never before had she hit him. Her claws raked down the right side of his face, and with that blow he felt as though all of his energy had been drained. _

_The three had then pinned him, and Minerva had stared down at him with hate and anger glowing in her brown eyes. _

"_Why…" Jet whispered softly._

"_I don't want you anymore."_

_Jet's eyes jumped from her to the dog standing beside her._

"_You want him?"_

"_Don't you see? I never cared for you. We-" she put an accent on the word"-just did this to hurt you. I hate you, Jet. You're a nasty excuse of a being."_

_Jet couldn't conjure up a response. There was nothing to say. But still he refused to believe what she said. He was certain these dogs were somehow using her, forcing her to say what she had. He took a small breath._

"_You're… lying…"_

"_Lying? About what?"_

"_You don't… hate me…"_

_An evil smile crossed Minerva's features, and the hate shown in her eyes stronger than before._

"_I don't hate you?!" Minerva shouted at him. She had never done that before. She took a breath and calmed herself. "I suppose it makes sense you think that. Just shows how stupid you are."_

_Jet didn't even get a chance to reply when he felt a searing pain in his tail. Someone sunk their teeth into it. That just triggered the rest of them. She and the silver furred dog at her side watched dispassionately as the other five hurt him and beat on him. Minerva almost seemed to enjoy his pain. Every time he made a pained noise, her smile seemed to grow larger, and her eyes glow more intensely._

_So Jet clinched his jaw shut. With every blow that fell upon him, Jet fell back into the dark pit of apathy that she had pulled him out of. She pulled him out, only to shove him back in. Except this time he fell down far deeper than he had been before. Jet had never had the urge to hurt anyone, but now he did._

_Despite his hurt, an uncontrollable, fiery rage began to flow through his blood. The injuries inflicted upon him should've killed him, but they didn't. Only the newfound desire for vengeance kept him stable. Even when they took him away, leaving him out in the freezing snow, he didn't die. _

_A small portion of Minerva's words rang through his mind. 'You're a nasty excuse of a being.'_

_That was all anyone saw of him. They saw a nasty excuse of a being. If that's what they saw, then that was what they would get._

…

"So I gave them exactly what they saw. It took me a few weeks to recover. In that time _they _spread lies about me. That I was a traitor. She said _I _had betrayed _her._ That got everyone else in town to shun me."

"During the time of my recovery, two humans were killed. Nobody knew by who, but it was obvious from the markings on their bodies that a canine or canines had committed the crime. Naturally, it was blamed on me. I'm sure Minerva's lies didn't do me any favors, either. I returned to the town, after recovering, unaware that those people had been killed. I was back to find the ones that had hurt _me."_

"Before I could find any of them, someone cornered me. I told him I just wanted to pass through, but he wouldn't allow me. I learned how everyone blamed me, then… he attacked me… and," Jet took a breath, adding in a shaky town,"… and, I killed him."

Balto stared wide eyed at Jet. "You… _killed _him?"

Jet nodded. "Yes. I ran after that. You see, if there was any way I could've been proven innocent of the crime of killing humans, it ended after that. They pursued me, though. I got shot at more than a few times; one of the bullets went through my leg. And I had to kill many more dogs to escape. I realized then that revenge was pointless. It was exactly what they wanted me to do. I decided I would not give them that satisfaction."

"I fled into the forest. I came across wolves there, and I figured that perhaps I could join in with those that shared the other half of my blood. Of course, that didn't happen. So I had to fight and _kill _many wolves as well."

"You see Balto, my actions only gave them more reason to hunt me. I'll never escape. They'll find me some day. And I'll be dead. The reason I want you to leave me alone, is I don't want them to hurt you too. I'm not worth the helping."

Balto was speechless. There was nothing for him to say, not a thing he _could _say. But as he stared deep into Jet's blue eyes, he didn't see evil. He didn't see a vicious, bloodthirsty murderer. He saw someone who had been betrayed and hurt, and was in dire need of the help he was so ferociously against.

Balto realized he had to make a decision. Did he leave his brother to rot? Or did he take the risk, and attempt to _help _Jet?

Being who he was, Balto realized he would be unable to just let Jet go. He had to do _something. _So he decided to speak his thoughts.

"I don't see you as a heartless murderer Jet. Only someone who was _unjustly _blamed because of what he is. The whole world was against you, and you had no choice but to fight… and kill. _I know _that feeling. I was just lucky enough to always have someone there for me. No one else has to know about it, if you don't want them to. It's… it's done. You can start new here."

Jet took several long minutes to think about the possibilities. He knew he would never be able to go back to his old town, not that he wanted to. He knew that they would not forget. Would they really pursue him this far? He had lost them more than two weeks ago. Wasn't it likely that they would assumed him dead?

Finally Jet nodded, and attempted to stable himself. "Alright… I'll… I will try."

"I'm glad to hear it."

And with that, the two were on their way once again.

(By the way, I have also decided to remove TCS. I've had a major change of plans in what I want to happen after this one, so that story will no longer be available to read. I have a basis for what I want to happen, just need to think it out some more. And it will be in a way that it fits with the movies. So I don't have to worry about the issues. I hope you all are okay with it. Thanks all.)


	9. Chapter 9

(Quite a bit shorter than the past few I've released. We're getting closer to the end of this, though I can't say how many more parts there will be as of now. As usual, hope it's decent and that everyone enjoys.)

Chapter 9

Another week had gone by since Jet's revealing, and Balto found that he seemed to be doing a lot better. Jet's attitude towards everything seemed to be improving. He was even spending a good amount of time with his _friend, _the husky female that went by the name of Nova. Although Jet would never admit it, Balto was sure that he had some small amount of feeling for her.

Even if he didn't admit it, Jet was openly showing another type of affection. Each time he came over, the bong between he and Balto's smallest son, Kodi, seemed to be growing stronger. Jet would pay special attention to the smallest pup, for which Balto was grateful. Though Kodi had grown a lot and still continued to, his self-confidence was a little under par. Jet seemed to be improving that, even if it was something so simple as to let Kodi beat him in a tickle-fight.

That was another thing all of Balto and Jenna's children liked about Jet. They could jump on him, chew on his ears, and he never complained. In fact, Jenna had caught a glimpse of him one time, and he had been smiling. It wasn't your fake kind of smile, the kind that you put on to pretend. It was genuine. Later when she had told Balto about it, he had paid more attention to how Jet interacted with the pups, and discovered she was right.

Jet had been right about another thing, too. Once they had found their voices, the pups' speaking ability improved daily. They knew a lot of words, but still weren't the best with their pronunciation. It was improving all the time, though.

Today was a special day for Balto and his family. The pups were getting curious. It was becoming all the more difficult for Jenna and Balto to keep an eye on them. So the two parents had decided that today was the day to introduce their young to the outside world. Jenna, Balto, and Jet were the only dogs they had ever met, and Jenna's family were the only humans they knew. Their world was so tiny, and now they were beginning to realize it.

The pups were excited, but Jenna had told them to behave themselves. Balto waited patiently on their back porch, for Jet to arrive. Jenna was sat next to him, and the pups were waiting scattered around their parents, doing their best to keep still. It really was quite amusing, and Balto had to suppress a laugh when he saw Alue staring intently at one of her brother's tail, wishing she could attack it.

It only took Jet a couple minutes to arrive, and then they were off. They hadn't gotten any further than the front yard, and every one of the pups were awed.

"There's so many of them…" Kodi whispered.

"You're afraid!" Dakota exclaimed, teasing his brother.

Kodi didn't respond, because he was afraid. He didn't realize how big everything was. There were so many people walking around and… so many strange dogs!

Kodi took three steps backward until he bumped into something warm and furry. He looked up at Jet with big eyes. He didn't want to go back though, and he made that very clear. So Jet stayed by the pups side, and he gradually became more confident. It brought a slight smile and warmth to the older canine, to see that even _merely _his_ presence _brought confidence to Kodi.

So they kept on with their slow tour of the town, stopping to rest if anyone grew tired and meeting many new dogs and people. By the end of the day, even the outgoing Alue was exhausted and ready to get home.

They were so tired, in fact, that they didn't even bother to have food before going to bed. That left the two parents and Jet alone in the back yard. Even though he knew Balto and Jenna cared about him, he still felt out of place, and maybe a little bit jealous. Jet would've given anything, he would _die _to have the kind of family that his brother had.

A loving and faithful mate as well as love and trust from said mate's human companions, six _amazing _pups, and the friendship and trust from almost everyone in the town. It made Jet think about what he _could've _had. But Minerva had to go and _fuck it_ _all up._

Why? Because she _hated _him.

It burnt and ate away at Jet's inside. The fiery _anger _that he felt towards her. All that time she'd _lied _to him. That was what the larger part of Jet's mind told him.

The smaller part, the part that had remained hopeful throughout the entire experience protested. That part of him even _now _refused to believe that Minerva hated him. That part still held even that small bit of hope, that she had somehow been forced into saying what had been said. It was that small part of him that had kept him alive and fighting.

Jet felt a light touch on the left side of his body, and looked around to see the red furred figure of Jenna. Much like she did for Balto, the husky could sense what Jet was feeling. He had chosen to share with her what had happened, so Jenna could easily tell what he felt.

"You are thinking of _her, _aren't you?" Jenna inquired. Balto was nowhere to be found.

Jet nodded slowly, purposefully.

"I can only imagine how it must feel…"

He responded with a small shrug. "It doesn't matter anymore. She doesn't."

"But it won't ever stop hurting. You're never going to _rid _yourself of that pain." Jenna paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "But Jet, everyone here cares about you. I can't promise you that moving on… I can't promise it won't hurt, and I cannot promise that it will be easy. But what I can promise is that you don't have to face it alone."

Jet found himself lost in Jenna's amber eyes. The passion and love he could see there was almost overwhelming. She _did _care about him. And a lot more than he had realized. She would stand by Balto, and would help Jet as much as she could.

"Thanks. That really does mean _a lot _to me."

Jenna waved it away with a flick of her paw. "Naw, don't thank me." Her gaze was to her left, and Jet briefly wondered what she was looking at. "There's someone who wants to see you."

Jet found himself looking right, Jenna's left, and he noticed the small figure of a pup. In the fading red light, the pup was no more than a shadowy figure. But he knew it was Kodi.

He said nothing as he nigh on crawled over to Jet. Kodi was very tired from his big day, but in there next to the exhaustion Jet could see happiness, contentment, and just a little bit of excitement.

"Uncle Jet?" Kodi said, looking up at the elder canine with the huge, innocent brown eyes.

Jet lie flat on his belly so he could look into the pups eyes.

"Yes?" He answered softly.

Jet suddenly felt Kodi's paws around his neck. His little arms barely made it a quarter of the way around, but it still didn't do anything to ease the shock Jet felt.

"I love you." Kodi said, the unknowing innocence in his voice making Jet almost want to cry. Kodi was a little pup, but it still left Jet speechless.

He heard a small laugh from Jenna.

"Balto would be jealous."

Kodi curled himself up in such a way that his head rested on Jet's left foreleg, just below the elbow joint. Not knowing what to do, Jet just let him stay there, which turned out to be a mistake. Kodi was asleep in under a minute.

"It looks like I'm staying here tonight."

Jenna nodded. "It sure does."

"Is that okay?"

"Fine with me," Jenna said, moving towards the shed where the rest of her pups slept. "Have a goodnight!" she added over her shoulder.

"Goodnight." Jet yawned. Maybe staying here for the night wouldn't be that bad. He didn't have the heart to make Kodi get up, and he didn't really feel like moving anyway.

Jet rested his grey furred chin on his right paw, and out of boredom, casted his gaze upward.

The sky was already dark. Time had really gone by fast today. Jet had actually had fun too, so he supposed that was a big reason for it. He gazed up at the stars for quite a while, before a soft whisper caught his attention.

"Uncle Jet?" asked the small, barely audible voice.

He realized that Kodi had awoken again. Jet wondered how long he had been awake. Kodi rolled onto his back, burying himself deeper into Jet's fur. He ended up resting against Jet's shoulder, using it to prop himself up to look at the sky.

"Yes?" Jet answered just as softly.

"Did I wake you?"

"No. I've been awake."

There was a few second silence, which was broken by the 'clack' of Kodi's teeth closing together. Jet assumed he had been yawning.

"Why are there so many stars?"

Jet was about to answer with an _'I'm not really sure,' _when he remembered something. It was an old memory, and he wasn't quite sure if it had ever even happened. He seemed to recall asking his mother the very same question, and he could remember the words as if she had just whispered them in his ear.

"There is a story, something the wolves believe in. They believe that the stars are souls of those that have passed away… and that they're up there to watch us and guide us. And if you ever see a falling star… it is supposed to mean there is a spirit, returning to the world, because they left something behind that they need to take care of."

Kodi looked up at Jet curiously. "Really? Do you think we'll see one?"

"Keep your eyes open, maybe we'll get lucky."

"Where would one be at?"

"They could be anywhere. There are a lot of stars up there."

Kodi's determination to stay awake was commendable, but his yawns became more and more frequent. Eventually his breathing stabilized, and he settled down once again.

Jet followed soon after, settling down and falling asleep with one last long, contented, sigh.


	10. Chapter 10

(I think this is my favorite out of everything I've ever written. I am having a lot of fun making it. I realize there hasn't been much action as in fights and such, but more of the emotion type. I really like character feelings, and I hope it's as much fun to read as it is for _me _to write.

School starts tomorrow. Going to have a lot of tough classes this year, so updates will likely be a lot slower. Hope this one is good.)

Chapter 10

He felt something warm and wet press up against his cheek for a brief moment, before a pressure was put on his paw. It stayed there for no more than two seconds, but it was enough to wake the previously sleeping Jet.

His eyelids fluttered for a moment, the blurry-seeing eyes behind them taking a couple seconds to adjust accordingly. Kodi stared at his paws, ears pressed against his head asking silent permission for forgiveness.

"Didn't mean to wake ya," he said apologetically.

Jet yawned, briefly showing an impressive display of shining white fangs, before his jaw shut with a barely audible _'click'. _

"Don't worry about it. It's time I get going anyway."

Lifting his muzzle into the air, Jet could smell yet another rain storm making its way in. And judging from the foreboding grey clouds forming out over the sea, the storm would likely bring more than just a little rain.

"When can I see you again?" Kodi asked softly, taking Jet's gaze away from the sky.

"I'll come back tonight."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

Kodi smiled. Jet couldn't resist. Getting to his paws, he returned the gesture. "I'll see you later."

"Bye!"

Jet left his brother's home feeling better than he had in some time. Feeling slightly hungry, Jet decided to go pay his friend the butcher a visit. He made the half mile trip in about three minutes, and of course there the man was. The two had become good friends, though the butcher had not yet been able to get Jet to eat from his hand.

There were already a few scrap pieces lying out on the floor for him, which Jet helped himself to gratefully. With the near constant food, shelter, and not to mention amazing friends and family, Jet's physical recovery was just about complete.

There was very little evidence left on him to show for all the fights he'd been through. Except for the scars that would remain ever-present beneath his cheek and shoulder fur, it was almost as though none of it had ever happened. Of course, he knew better than to think that way.

The butcher gave Jet a few more scraps, before turning his eyes to the sky.

"Looks like a nasty storm's comin' in. Gonna have to close up."

The butcher gave Jet enough time to finish his food before closing up, leaving Jet alone in the alley way. The wind began to pick up, whistling through the narrow space with increasing velocity. Maybe he should've stayed at his brothers.

There was no way he'd have time to make it out to the boat; he'd have to find somewhere to hide, and quick.

Jet scurried back out to the main road, finding it largely deserted, and the few people that remained outside were moving indoors. It looked like the coming storm even had them on edge.

"Hey, Jet."

He looked around, feeling confused when he saw no one. Had he been _hearing_ things?

"Look _up." _

Jet looked up.

Perched atop the home to his right, was his friend Nova. How had she gotten up there?

"Wanna come with me?"

"Where are you going?"

"To watch the storm. Come on!" Without waiting for an answer, Nova leapt clean off the house before zipping away. Jet ran after her.

She led him through Nome's housing district rapidly, before coming to a home on the west side. It was further away from the town, about twenty five yards away was the nearest home. It was a two story construct, made of wood like most of the other buildings in the town. The sea was no more than 100 yards from it, giving them a clean view of the rapidly approaching storm. Most of the windows appeared to be broken as well.

"It's abandoned. This is where I usually stay." Nova informed him.

Jet nodded. "How come there are no humans?"

"I'm not sure, but I think that they are afraid of this house. Don't know why though. And I don't care, long as they don't come in."

He acknowledged her statement with a flick of his ear. He supposed that was fair enough. But he still had one more question.

"Why don't you want to live with people?"

She shrugged. "I just prefer to be free. After what _he _did to me, anyway."

Jet felt the curious side of him take hold. He'd never really spoken to Nova about _her _past, it had always been about him and making _him _feel better. Of course, she seemed to know what his thoughts were, and continued unprompted.

"He used me only to get _money," _Nova put a disgusted accent on the word, "they would throw dogs in a ring, make bets, and then have them fight to the death. I'm lucky I survived it."

Jet had nothing to say. What _could _he say?

"I had no idea…" Jet said, hanging his head in shame. The life of a fighting dog was _cruel, _and often very short. The few that were lucky enough to survive it were often scarred for life. Not just physical scars, either, but mental. Being trained to _kill _all your life, seeing so much death, most of it caused by your _own _bloody paws… it took its toll on the mind. Jet knew that from experience.

It just made Nova that much more amazing.

"That's why I don't like to talk about it. It hurts to think about those whose lives I cut short. I wonder sometimes, am I a murderer?"

And then, suddenly, their roles were reversed. Usually Nova was the one trying to comfort or help him. Jet found himself being suddenly thrust into the _'comforter' _role. It was a part he hadn't played in a long time, but it came back to him with ease.

"Don't you dare think like that," He said sternly, before taking on a calmer, more sincere tone. "I know it hurts, I…"

"You've _killed _someone?"

"More than a few…" and slowly, gently, he revealed to her his past. He left out one important part though. _Minerva. Oh how even the thought of her hurt._

He knew that leaving Minerva out could and likely would come back later to haunt him, but at the moment, he didn't really care. It was as if all else in the world was gone, and Nova was the only one he had ever known, and would ever know.

The wind picked up, blowing harder, ruffling their fur and whipping across the land. And there the two were, standing right out in the middle of it. A storm boring down on them, but it didn't matter. Not in the moment. Without words or action, the two made peace with each other. They had both seen and done terrible things. But together they let go. They let the past go in a whirlwind of old memories and emotion.

"We'd better get inside." Nova said eventually.

"That sounds like a good idea."

And just like that, it was over.

Nova brought him inside. The bottom floor was one huge room, shaped like a rectangular prism. They entered on the side facing town, as there was the only door. The door itself was long gone, leaving only a few rusted hinges and the barest hint of a frame. The windows were in much the same condition, the glass having long ago been removed.

Only the wooden floor remained, but even that was beginning to rot away, and as such it creaked and moaned under the two canines' weight. Only a stone fireplace, set against the back wall of the large, rectangle room, and a similar stone, spiral, staircase placed on the far right remained.

Without so much as a word Nova proceeded up the staircase, Jet following right behind her. Their claws clicked on the stone annoyingly, and he resisted the urge to sneeze as her tail brushed lightly against his nose. He paused to allow her to reach the top, before scurrying up after her.

The upper floor was nothing more than a single hallway and a few rooms. On Jet's left were three doors, and on his right was only one, at the opposite end of the corridor.

The first door to his left was cracked open the slightest bit, but Jet resisted the urge to peek inside. Nova brought him to the only door on the right, but there was one small problem.

"It's locked," Jet said, as he attempted to push it open.

Nova's only reply was a sly smile. The husky stood on her hind legs for a brief moment, slapping a paw down onto the handle.

Jet suddenly felt very stupid. With nary a sound, the door opened up. This room, unlike the one below him, had a threadbare red carpet covering the wood floor, though sections of it were missing. As per usual, none of the four windows in this room had glass either. This room ran the length of the building, but was only one fourth as wide. Two windows were on each side, while two more were in the wall before him.

Between those two windows was another door frame. It looked large enough to fit two doors, actually, and rusted hinges on either side proved that there actually _had _been two doors. Beyond where the doors would've been was a small balcony. There were no rails around it, but there _was _a roof over it.

Jet suddenly wished he could've seen this place when it was still being used. He could imagine a set of sparkling glass doors occupying the frame, windows and perhaps curtains draped over them. And he could imagine a person sleeping in this room.

The person would wake in the morning, open up the glass doors, and step out onto the balcony. They would be able to breath in fresh air. They could also sit up here and watch the sun set behind the water, or watch storms as they rolled in off the sea, like he and Nova were now doing.

They were sat beside each other, about twelve inches of space between them. The wind had died down for a moment. The calm before the storm.

"I like watching storms. They just seem… I don't know, mighty?"

"As in powerful?"

"Yes."

Jet nodded. He couldn't agree more.

Lightning lit up the grey clouds which rolled in off the sea, and every so often a bolt would lash out at the water's surface. The thunder seemed to shake and vibrate their building to its very core. Then the winds returned, and with it, the rain. Forced to retreat back into the room from the cold and blowing rain, Nova and Jet were content to watch and listen.

Listen as the rain crashed against the roof over their heads. Watch as the lightning seemed to intensify, bringing with it even louder and more intense thunder. The chilly winds which whipped through the entire building, managing to disturb the two even _inside. _

Without even realizing, the two moved closer together. It took around thirty minutes for the storm to die down, turning into nothing more than a gentle rain. Jet felt a weight lift off his left shoulder, and rotated his head to see Nova yawning.

"You have a comfortable shoulder," she said jokingly.

He felt warmth radiating from his face. He hadn't even realized!

Nova laughed, sensing his embarrassment. "Don't worry, I didn't realize either until just now."

Unsure of what else to say, Jet went into default mode. "Well… thanks for… for everything."

Nova frowned. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah." He didn't want to overstay his welcome.

He could feel that Nova was disappointed, but she hid it well with a smile and a laugh.

"Well then, I'll see you around."

"Definitely."

And with that, Jet turned and left Nova alone once again.


	11. Chapter 11

(Only a week into school.. and I'm already swamped. I apologize for the extreme shortness, but here is where it gets good. The end is nigh on upon us. Enjoy and I hope it's good. Next update may come this weekend. Got Monday off.)

Chapter 11

Nova watched as the tip of Jet's grey tail disappeared from her line of site. She felt a pang of sadness in her chest. She liked his company! Why was she letting him go? Nova was sick of sitting in here all alone every night. With a sudden spring in her step, the husky rose from where she sat and moved off after her friend.

To her great surprise, Jet had already managed to make it out of the building by the time she caught up to him. He really could move fast, and quiet too. He stopped, in just about the same place they were before the storm.

The ground was wet, so wet that it soaked the fur on the bottoms of their paws. It was slightly annoying, but it was nothing they weren't used to. Though he did an admirable job of not showing it, Nova _knew _Jet was made happier by her decision to follow him.

"Need something?"

Nova felt another pang in her abdomen. But this one was different than the one she had felt earlier.

"Actually… I could use some _food…_"

A wry smile crossed Jet's face. _"I _know just the place."

"Lead on!"

Jet did so. Nova followed along, silently pondering over the strange feelings growing inside of her as she went. It had all started that night she'd first met him. So much had changed since then, and only a relatively small amount of time had passed.

She knew now what had happened to him. She could see how and why that would affect his lifestyle and overall sense of purpose so much. She had been trained since a young age to fight and kill. It hurt her, but she'd learned to deal with it at a young age.

Now Jet… he'd been thrown into it all in the matter of a few days. He had gone from a unpleasant but still bearable life, to being deemed a murderer. He'd either had to kill or be killed. For someone unprepared and inexperienced that would be very traumatizing. As it were with Jet.

It made her feel better that the past was now in the open. Now both of them could begin to move on in their lives. Nova, however, wanted her life to remain entwined with his. In the short time she'd known him, the grey furred, blue eyed wolf dog had managed to weasel his way into her heart and mind, probably without even realizing.

She watched keenly at how he played with and helped Balto's son, Kodi. Nova saw how much the pup meant to Jet, and how much Jet meant and did for Kodi.

But in many ways Jet was almost like a pup himself. Behind the mask, Nova was beginning to uncover a fun and compassionate being. One she hoped to get to know even better over the coming weeks. She liked the quiet, curious nature Jet had about him.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Nova glanced up to see she'd stopped walking entirely, and Jet was now waiting at the edge of Nome for her. She hadn't even walked five steps! She sighed and jogged the rest of the way, liking the feeling of her muscles stretching out. She'd have to ask Jet to go with her for a jog along the shore, sometime.

"You alright?" He asked once she caught up, _again._

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine."

Jet eyed her skeptically but didn't press. Instead he kept going.

Though she tried her very best, Nova had to submit. She allowed her eyes to give him the once over, this time looking at him in a different way than she had before.

Jet was averaged height for a dog, with the slightly larger wolf paws. He was a decent sized and she imagined could be a very intimidating and strong dog if he needed to be. She watched his body as he walked, his shoulders moving and flexing rhythmically…

With horror in her eyes, Nova tore her gaze away from him, instead fixating it on a building to her right. She kept her eyes on that building until they passed it, and then put them on another one. She could've sworn she'd heard a small laugh from Jet, and she could only imagine the look on his face.

_He knew she had been looking._

Nova seethed at herself for thinking that way.

After what seemed like forever, they finally arrived at their destination. It was the butcher. Nova knew of the man, but hadn't expected…

"Brought your girlfriend this time, eh?"

Jet seemed to nod along with what he said. Nova picked up a hint of sadness in the man's voice though. A dark feeling suddenly came upon her. Nova felt it in her gut. Something was not right.

Jet seemed oblivious to her discomfort, however, and was staring at the man intently.

"I'm sorry, buddy." The man said honestly.

Then Nova felt it. A sharp pain in her left side. It was quickly numbed, however, and Nova very quickly grew drowsy. She fell to the ground, but not before she got a warning out.

"Jet, behind you!" She called, before the darkness overcame her.

…

He turned in time to see the stock of a rifle come crashing down upon his head. It hit him with an ear-splitting '_crack!'. _Jet's vision went awry. There were only two men standing before him, but it looked like six. The blurred form of Nova was down to his right.

Even with his mind in such a delusional and disassembled state, with everything he was trying to process, he knew why. They'd finally found him.

Jet's head pounded. But through some will, he managed to keep himself upright. He had to get Nova away from them. He was too late. He could see the rifle pointed at him.

Pain erupted in his right shoulder, just above the area where his heart beat. But, he curiously noted the absence of a gunshot. And this pain was not the fiery burning of a bullet. This was _cold._

The icy chill was sent through his veins in a matter of moments. His blurry vision was then outlined by an encroaching blackness. He fought tooth and nail against it, staggering a few steps and fighting viciously. It was not enough.

Jet fell to the ground. The low rumble of another man's voice was the last thing he heard.

"Haha, ah, alright we got him…"


	12. Chapter 12

(Only a couple more to go. I have two endings for this story... and I'm really not sure how to end it. I'm sure everyone knows what would happen in each ending... Anyways, hopefully it's good.)

Chapter 12

Time. It's a strange thing. Valuable, although most don't realize the value of their time until after they've lost it. Time is what constrains us, yet it's what defines us.

Work time, bed time, food time, free time… so many different types of time. So many, that it's difficult to figure out how to spend it. What was worth your time? And what _wasn't?_

It was these questions that kept circulating in Jet's mind.

There was nothing except for the frenzied beating of his heart, and his slowly steadying breathing rate. He could see nothing, smell nothing. Only hear, and feel his left side as he lie upon an extremely cold surface.

Jet had no idea where he was, how long he had been there, or how long he would be here. He knew his limbs were restrained, as he could feel the restraints keeping them clamped down. Thus, he was unable to rise.

He wondered what had happened to Nova. He hoped they hadn't hurt her. She deserved better than that.

And Balto. What would his brother think? Would he be a fool, and try to save Jet? Jet hoped not. Balto couldn't risk his family or life trying to help a convicted killer. Jet sighed, his breath echoing through the space in which he was confined.

He felt remorseful. He wouldn't be able to see his brother anymore. He'd never be able to watch as Balto's sons and daughters grew older. _Especially Kodi. _

Jet so very much hoped that he would be around to see Kodi grow. He wanted to see what kind of dog he, _and _his siblings were going to become. And Nova too. He knew, that despite the show of confidence she put on, that on the inside she was as fragile as an ice crystal. He'd be taken away from her, he'd never get to repay her, _never get to repay any of those that had helped him,_ because his time was going to be _cut short._

Jet was sorrowful, because he would never see those things. Yet part of him had known all along that this was going to happen. The cold, unforgiving part of his mind. It had known all this time that this would happen, and that was why it had fought so _bitterly _to keep him from becoming _attached. _

Obviously, it hadn't worked. It all went back to his thoughts on time. The fun, caring part of his mind had agreed with the unforgiving part on one thing – that his time was limited. What it hadn't agreed on was how he would spend the rest of that time.

Despite his sorrow, Jet was _happy. _This allowed him to stare death in the face, unflinching and unwavering. He was not ready to die, but he was _not afraid _to die.

He felt as if he had meant something. And he knew he had. He would not be just a nameless wolf-dog, slaughtered like all the rest. He would be remembered, even for the short time he had been here.

A low moan, the sound of a door being opened, made it to Jet's ears. A thin sliver of light appeared in the wall. Jet knew what was coming. He knew what time it was.

…

A powerful yet inexplicable roar caught Balto's attention. He was in the middle of Nome, taking a mid-morning walk when he heard it. The strange noise almost sounded like the saw from the saw mill… but different. He looked all around him, but found nothing out of the ordinary. He could not place the strange sound. Until he saw the people around him. They were all looking up, most of them awestruck.

Balto decided to look up too. What he saw took his breath away. It was a rusty red in color, with wings spread out like an eagle. It had to be at least a fifty foot spread; the largest Balto had ever seen. Except this bird seemed to be made entirely out of metal, with the sunlight glinting off its wings attesting to that. There was not a cloud in the sky today, making whatever that was all the more majestic.

Balto saw the spinning propeller on the front, and realized that was what was making the noise, as well as keeping the contraption flying. He watched it in stunned silence as it zoomed less than fifty feet overhead. It circled the town a few times, coming lower and lower before touching the ground, landing in the field on the east side of town.

So just like all the other citizens of Nome, Balto hurried over to the east side. Three men emerged from the belly of monster, pulling with them three more dogs. Two male, one female. The men wore trench coats and overalls, a strange outfit for such a beautiful summer day. It made Balto question their motives, and what they were here for.

And then his jaw dropped. As soon as he got a look into the green eyes of the silver dog, he knew exactly who was standing before him. It was the two from Jet's story. He wasn't sure who the third dog was, but that didn't matter. That meant someone else had found out about Jet's past, and had told these people about him.

The three men reached back into the belly of the beast, each pulling out a gun. One man held a shotgun, the other a bolt-action rifle, and the third a revolver. Balto felt like he was going to faint.

All of that was for Jet? He must've really pissed these guys off.

And to top it off the silver dog was staring at him intently. Balto turned quickly around. He moved as quickly as possible, while still trying to remain inconspicuous. It was no easy task, considering the silver dog's eyes were on him until he rounded the corner towards Rosy's house. Jet should be there.

Balto had to warn his sibling, before it was too late.

…

Jenna watched her pups vigilantly. They were all running around the yard, very excited for what was going to happen today.

Last night, she and Balto had promised the six that today would be their first day to go out into the forest.

"Mom…" Dakota complained yet again, "When are we going to go?"

"Whenever your father gets home," Jenna answered patiently.

"But why do we have to wait for him?" Alue added, taking her brother's side.

Jenna took a breath to answer, but realized she didn't need to, for there was Balto. He hurried up to her side, looking worried and panicked.

"Where is Jet?" he asked in a hushed tone, so the pups wouldn't hear.

Jenna frowned. "He isn't here yet. Is something wrong?"

"I can't explain now. Jet is in danger. I've got to warn him."

"Are we going now dad?" Dakota asked, staring up at Balto. The others were just behind him, anxiously awaiting his answer.

"Not now. I must find Jet."

"Can we go with you?" Kodi asked quietly.

"No. You all stay here."

"But dad-" Dakota began to protest, however he was quickly cut off by a growl from his father.

"I said no."

The wolf dog didn't wait to see if his command was obeyed, for he stalked away from all of them. Dakota came in closer to his mother.

"Did I make him mad?"

"No you didn't dear. He's just worried about Jet."

"Is he in trouble?" Alue asked, sounding surprisingly grown up.

Jenna nodded, only half paying attention to what was being said.

Kodi's little voice came up again. "Is someone gonna hurt him?"

"I don't know, honey. I don't know."

…

Balto barely made it back out onto the street, when he saw them. They were waiting for him. Balto struggled to keep his emotion and thoughts in check. It was even more difficult to do when he saw the silver dog smirk. Balto wasn't one to be violent, but he wanted nothing more than to go up and wipe that _fucking smirk _off his face. From the gesture, Balto knew the silver dog could read him.

"Balto, I'm honored-" Balto's anger flared up even further, as the sarcasm dripping from every word was almost palpable"-to finally meet you. You're quite famous, as I am sure you know."

"Yes, I was aware of that." Balto replied, keeping cool. "May I ask your name?"

The silver dog laughed dryly. "Balto, you already _know _our names." He took a step closer, his tone changing to one of venomous anger, "Don't think I don't know. I can _smell _him on you. Do you really think it's wise, to hide a killer?"

The dogs eyes flickered over to Balto's house, and to one of the pups that was staring curiously over at the conversing adults, before Jenna pulled him back.

"Especially when you have a _family?"_

Balto knew it was pointless, but he had to try anyway. "I'm not hiding any _killers."_

The dog's eyes narrowed. "You are trying my _patience, _Balto. Where is he?"

At the exact moment Balto took a breath to answer, another voice beat him to it.

"Balto! They got him!"

The wolf dog sighed inwardly. Nova realized her mistake a moment too late, and skidded to a stop beside Balto.

"Why thank you, miss. _We _appreciate the information. And Balto… you'd do well not to lie to me again. You never know when one of your pups might… _wander off."_

Balto knew that comment was meant to enrage him. And it did. But only through some miracle was he able to restrain himself from lashing out. He knew it was a dare. And he would not give _any _of them that satisfaction.

Upon not getting the reaction he desired, the silver dog spun on a dime and waltzed off, his two companions following right behind him.

Balto turned to Nova.

"They have him… they're gonna kill him, Balto." Nova said breathlessly.

"Do you know where he is?"

"No. They ambushed us last night… they took him away and left me."

Balto cursed and stamped a paw down onto the ground.

"Damn it!"

Nova seemed not to care. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll find him, and we'll get him away from here." Balto answered, his features hardening with determination. "He's come so far, I'll be _damned _if I let them take him now."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

They chained him in the middle of a field, placed a muzzle over his face, and left him there. Jet still could not rise to his feet. After they left him, he tugged experimentally on the chains holding him, but it brought no results. He wasn't going anywhere.

The field was peaceful. Grass and flowers swaying ever so slightly in an almost non-existent breeze, the sun light shining happily upon the land. The calls of birds and other animals, which were busy taking care of their own young. All of it was oblivious to the violence that would soon take place.

The unjust execution of someone who _didn't _deserve it.

Jet was left alone in the field. He knew why, too. He had seen the plane that had landed earlier. He wasn't sure how, but he could _feel _that it was them. He knew that Minerva was with them. Despite his dislike and distrust of his former mate, he still shared a special bond with her. He knew when she was near.

Jet knew one part of him would never stop loving her. That part would always see her, the same way he had seen her that first day and night. But the larger part hated her. Although it wasn't as passionate as it had once been. If she was _truly _happy with… _him, _well then, Jet supposed he could forgive her.

The wolf dog was left to lie there all day. He wondered why they didn't just come out and kill him now. Jet hated waiting.

The wolf dog let out a dry laugh. "Look at me…"he mumbled to himself, "I don't know anyone who'd _hate _waiting to _die."_

Maybe they wanted to torment him. Maybe they wanted him to suffer, to feel the fear of having to _wait _to die. They would surely be in for a surprise then.

"_Oh yes, they'll surely be in for a surprise."_

But did he really want to die? Jet closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He wished he could see her one last time.

"_Jet? Jet!"_

He tried to crane his neck around, but with the muzzle it was difficult to see much of anything. He was left lying on his right side, and there wasn't much he could do to move.

"Jet, there you are." He felt a paw on his left shoulder, and then a slight tugging on his muzzle. "Here, let me help you-"

Jet sighed. "No, Nova."

She continued unheeded. "-get this off. We're going to get you out of here."

Jet narrowed his eyes. "Nova, no," he said forcefully. Still she did not stop.

"You and I, we can run away together. They'll never find you-"

Jet jerked on his chain and let out a fierce growl. "Nova!"

Her frantic struggling on his chains and her words died off. She blinked a few times.

"You can't die… I won't let you."

"You can't stop it. If you try to help me you'll only get in trouble too. Get out of here."

Nova's stubborn side took ahold of her.

"No. _I'm not leaving you."_

"Damn it you have to." Jet growled. "If you're hurt because of me-"

"Jet, stop it! Don't talk this way!"

"You cannot save me, Nova. I knew this was going to happen. That's why I didn't want to talk to you. See what's happening now?"

"Nova, there you are! You found him."

Nova let out a low growl, and glanced at Balto as he came to stand over his brother.

"Talk some sense into him, Balto. He says he's ready to die."

Jet nodded. "I am."

"That's crazy, Jet. We're gonna-"

"BALTO!" Jet cried, as loud as was possible with the muzzle on his face. "Get the hell out of here!"

"We are not leaving you."

"Yes you are."

Neither Balto or Nova said anything for a long time. Jet knew both of them knew, that there was no getting out of this. They just didn't want to accept it.

"If this is how you're going to remember me, I'd prefer not to be remembered at all. You two made the last few weeks of my life… well, nothing short of amazing. Without you two… I'd be dying as a nobody. You two gave me the best things I could've ever had. I love you. Both of you."

Both of them were sad, but before any more could be said, a human voice interrupted them.

"Yes. We left him right over here."

"Get out of here."

"Good bye Jet. We'll never forget you." Nova whispered, giving him a lick on the cheek. It sent a warm and tingly sensation through Jet's entire body. Half of him wished that he would be given one more night.

Nova turned away, leaving the two brothers alone.

"Jet… I love you too. I wish it didn't have to end this way." Balto said solemnly.

"The ending is what you make of it, Balto. Take care of your family. Don't do anything stupid."

The wolf dog nodded, a small smile crossing his features. "I'm glad you came here. I'm honored to have known you, brother."

Jet and Balto touched noses, cherishing their brief and final moment of sibling-love. Balto moved along, and Jet rested his head back down.

Balto followed Nova, and Jet was left alone to face his fate. His heart began to beat faster, but he forced himself to be calm. He would not show any fear.

Ten figures appeared on the horizon. Seven men, all of them armed, and three dogs. They approached him slowly, cautiously, as if they expected him to rise up and attack them at any moment.

The men stood over him, the dogs just behind them. Both Silva and Minerva eyes were alight with fire. Jet stared them down, calmly and coolly. He saw a flicker of surprise across Silva's face. Jet shot him a smirk.

"You caught me, Silva. Happy now?"

"Very. I'm going to look forward to watching you die."

Jet smiled. "You've won the fight, Silva, but you'll lose the war." The wolf dog shifted his gaze to Minerva. "How is he _treating _you?"

She didn't answer. He knew she wouldn't ever answer. But one curious thing he noted, Minerva's entire body was tense. She looked like she was ready to fight.

A human lashed out with a booted foot, hitting him square in the stomach. If his breath hadn't been knocked from him, Jet would've screamed. He was struck twice more, and left gasping for breath. He was pretty sure one of his ribs had been broken. It hurt to even breathe.

He was forced to take shallow, rapid breaths, until the fiery pain began to subside, enough to allow him to breath deeper.

When he was finally able to look around again, he saw the men taking a few steps back. The same man who had kicked him was now holding a rifle. It was pointed right at him.

…

Balto and Nova ambled along towards Nome. The whole thing felt surreal, almost as if it were some sort of bad dream that they'd wake up from and then they'd find Jet sleeping next to them. How he wished that were the case.

Balto knew what was going to come. Yet it scared him when he finally heard it, so much so he jumped forward a few steps.

The gunshot roared out, the report deafening even at this distance. The _'boom' _echoed across the land, drawling out until finally fading away, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

He couldn't bring himself to move. His entire body felt frozen, even his blood felt like ice, prickling and prodding the muscle beneath his skin. There was no second gunshot. That meant that the first had done its job.

_Jet was dead. His sibling was dead._

Balto's head bowed, and he sank to the ground, suddenly feeling very sick, tired, and _defeated. _Just that fast… that fast someone was gone. Yesterday this time everything was fine. Now it wasn't.

He pondered that for a moment. How so quickly things could change, and how easily the humans could take a life. Of course, they had every reason to want Jet dead, Balto couldn't fault them there. It wasn't _really _anyone's fault. It was all just a big misunderstanding. That was what it boiled down to.

Though those dogs had had a large part to play in it… and suddenly gone was the sick feeling and the tiredness, replaced by that of anger. It was a vile pit of red hot lava, ready to spew over and torment those that had hurt Jet so badly.

Balto sprung up, but took no more than two steps before stopping. His emotions were going crazy, and he took a brief moment to get them under control. It would do no good to go in there and get himself killed as well. Jet wouldn't have wanted that.

It was then that Balto took note of his companion, and his brother's best friend. Nova. She stood completely still, gazing toward the source of the gunshot. They couldn't see anything, but Balto's ears strained to hear the shouts of human conversation. Though he wasn't sure if he was actually hearing it or it was his mind telling him so.

However, very soon after, Balto took note of the human and dog figures that rushed back towards the town. All of the humans were accounted for, at least of the ones Balto had _seen, _but there were only _two _dogs. The third was present in the lead man's arms. Did that mean…?

With a sudden burst of energy, Balto jolted forward, half hoping and half dreading seeing the place where Jet was again.

There had only been one gunshot, but it was _possible _there had been two. Perhaps Balto had not heard it, or perhaps they had used the shotgun… which would more than likely mean Jet was dead. As he neared the area, Nova following him once again, Balto could smell blood. _A lot of blood._

Balto parted the thick grasses to the clearing in which his brother lay. He took in the nauseating site before him.

The chains that had held Jet captive were now gone. He rested still on his side, his forepaws tucked underneath his chin. His back legs were near his torso, tail curled around them. But most sickening of all was the blood.

It soaked the ground around Jet, and as Balto drew closer it was impossible to tell whether the blood was his or not, from the enormous quantities of it spewed all over.

"My…" Nova was awed. She'd seen blood before, was no stranger to it. But never _this _much. How could one body even _hold _this much blood? The red substance was beginning to flow down the gradual slope, painting a sickly red reminder of the horrible event that had taken place here.

Balto went around to Jet's back to avoid stepping in the flow, and placed a gentle paw on his brothers side. He felt no heartbeat. He glanced over to Nova, who eyed him almost accusingly.

"He's dead?"

Balto shook his head. "I…"

Nova looked down at him. "He has to be, if this is coming from him."

The trail of blood did seem to originate from underneath Jet, making it likely that this was his. _God, _Balto didn't even want to _imagine _what kind of wound would cause this.

Nova turned away.

"Should we… bury him?"

Balto's burst of energy left him. He was unwilling to believe it. He couldn't be dead… not yet.

..

(Real short, and a bad place to end it. For that I apologize. I'm still not sure of how I'll end this. Part of me wants to kill him, as if he survived then this would just be another one of those typical stories with the (somewhat) happy endings. But I hesitate to kill him, too. I've grown to love this character a lot, and have used him in several original stories. So it's down to five flips of a coin, which I'll do right after this that will decide this ending. We'll see what it is next chapter. Bye all, and thanks for reading.)


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Balto stared down at the sight before him, unable to take it any longer. _He had to know._

Slowly, gently, he worked his left paw underneath his siblings chest, and with a powerful jerk of said limb, Jet was rolled onto his other side. Balto's heart went up into his throat. He was forced to turn his head away lest he vomit on his brother's corpse.

That's all it was now, a corpse.

The flesh on this side's shoulder was completely gone, leaving muscle and bone completely visible. At such a close range the shotgun would no doubt kill anyone. Balto raised his gaze in time to see Nova bolt off. Though he didn't know it at the time, that was the last anyone would ever see of her.

Balto felt so weak, weaker than he had ever felt in his life. But despite this, he moved a few yards away and began digging. He didn't stop. The moon was high in the sky by the time his pit was deep enough, and he eased Jet's body into the pit. Though his siblings fur was stained with his own blood, Balto gave him one last nuzzle.

Jet was so cold to touch. He felt strange. It was strange, how different the mere body was when its life-force, or spirit as some called it, was present inside the body. Now it was nothing but a used shell, devoid of life or reason to be.

"I'm sorry…"he whispered into Jet's ear. Balto then climbed from the pit, and proceeded to cover the ground again. He packed the dirt tightly down as he could, before searching out and finding a large piece of wood that would serve as a grave marker.

In time he would find something better, but for now the scrap would do. Balto angled his head and stuck it into the dirt, before stepping back to take a look. The monstrous amount of blood from Jet was finally beginning to be absorbed into the ground.

The pale moon shining down from above gave the place a serene look, and Balto guessed that by the end of summer one would never even be able to tell what had happened. He would find a new, more permanent grave marker for Jet, even if he had to steal something. His brother deserved it.

…

Balto spent the night beside Jet's grave, and returned early the next morning to Jenna. He got no sleep at all. When he arrived, he found that the husky was already out front, waiting for him. She looked exhausted. Balto guessed that she hadn't gotten very much sleep the previous night either.

"He's dead… isn't he?" By the tone of her voice, Jenna already knew. However like him, she still couldn't quite believe it.

Balto nodded once. "Yes. I buried him."

Jenna bowed her head, speaking in a low voice. "What will we tell the pups? They, especially Kodi, liked him so much…"

Balto clinched his eyes shut, trying to suppress the moisture that was beginning to pool at the corners of his vision. "I… I don't know."

Jenna was silent a few moments. "It's so unfair," she stated finally. "I know he had his wrongdoings… but what they did to him was even worse."

Balto could only nod. Even speaking now seemed to require a great amount of energy. Energy he didn't have.

"I hope he finds his peace." Balto said finally. Jenna stepped closer to him, and pressed her body against him in a reassuring and pleasing way.

"I know he will." She said confidently. "The ones who did this to him, they'll pay, in the end."

Balto yawned. Though his desire to find the three and hurt them was strong, his love was stronger. He knew Jenna was right. Jet, by accepting his fate, had proved who was the stronger of the opposing parties.

The wolf dog knew it would take a long time for him to heal from this, and that part of him would always be hurt. It was easy to think about how much time and life was wasted by killing someone like his sibling.

But Balto was _thankful _for the time he did have with Jet. A canine that, in many ways, was much stronger than Balto felt he could ever be. A small smile crossed his face, as he recalled some of the last words Jet had spoken to him. And how true they were.

'_The ending is what you make of it.'_

_.._

God, how it hurt to write this. Even though these characters only exist in our imaginations, it felt like I really lost someone. And in a way, I did.

On another note, I wanna thank everyone that's read and reviewed this story, and anyone that continues to do so. I'm honored that you take the time to read this work, let alone leave comments. It means a lot. So believe me when I say it's a true _thank you. _I hope this was a worthy read for everyone.

PS - There may be one last chapter after this, so be on the lookout.


	16. Chapter 15 (Alternate End)

~Dear Lord, I'm so sorry everyone. I've been gone so long. I'm only a Junior in highschool, but I already have a college class this year, and that alone is tough. Between that, regular school, volunteer work and a regular job, I've had no time at all to write. Any free time I'd get would be spent sleeping, usually. Which is a shame, because I haven't been able to use the things I've been learning in my Creative Writing class this year.

So I finally sat myself down and forced myself to finish this. I apologize if it seems rushed, it's the best I could manage. But enough of my blabbering, enjoy the alternate ending in which Jet survives.~~

Ch 15 (Alternate Ending)

He couldn't take this anymore. He had to know. So tentatively, Balto worked his left paw underneath Jet's jest. He grimaced as it was stuck with blood, but ignored it otherwise. With a powerful jerk of his body, Balto rolled his sibling…

…And almost collapsed in relief. Though on this side, Jet's grey fur was stained to almost black with blood, there was no sign of a wound on his body.

_So where the hell did all this come from?_

Balto thought back. He'd seen that human running away, carrying a canine in his arms. Was it possible that someone had leaped before him?

A raspy cough captured Balto's attention before he could ponder the matter further, and he refocused on the canine that lay before him. Jet slowly stretched out his limbs, almost as if he wasn't quite sure they were all still attached. A moment later, his blue eyes were opened. A cloudy gaze covered them, but with a few blinks clarity was restored to the ocean blue depths.

"Balto?" The word was slurred and soft spoke, but still intelligible. It also caught Nova's attention. Said female pushed past Balto, and moved close to Jet.

She lie down next to him, and, uncaring of the dark crimson staining his fur and rubbing onto her, pushed her muzzle deep into Jet's chest fur.

"I thought we lost you," she murmured.

"Not… yet…" Jet said, his words becoming less slurred as he recognized reality.

The two of them together brought a smile to Balto's face and warmth to his heart. But as the sticky substance surrounding them reminded him, _at what cost?_

Balto's mouth spoke before he realized it, and he regretted it even as he spoke, for now was not the time or place. "What happened?"

Jet suddenly jerked away from Nova, the other staring at him in confusion.

"Minerva…" he said softly, struggling to sit up. When he got there, he stared down at all the blood around him as though he were in some sort of trance.

"Minerva…" he whispered again, "Why?"

Nova blinked, looking over to Balto. "Minerva?" she asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Balto yelped, shocked.

"He never said anything about a Minerva…"

Balto sighed. Why would Jet do that? It didn't make sense… unless he had been experiencing feelings for Nova. He clinched his eyes shut. "She is-" Balto stopped to correct himself, "-was, his… mate."

Now it was Nova's turn to be shocked. "He has a mate?"

She couldn't believe it. Why would he not tell her? Unless… maybe he'd felt something for _her. _And Jet felt that if he _told _Nova… she would think worse of him. Nova scoffed at that thought, but she could understand it.

Quickly and quietly, Balto told her about Minerva. The one Jet has loved so much but had been used, hurt, and abandoned by.

Jet overheard the two talking about it, and he expected Nova to be hurt or angry, so what she did next surprised him. She moved closer to Jet once more, and put her paws around his torso in a canine-hug. After a moment, he hugged her back.

"I can't believe I didn't see it." Jet said when they finally separated. "It was all a lie."

Jet heard the gunshot, and a moment later something fairly large and hefty fell atop him. It was accompanied by a fountain of warm liquid that washed over him like a river.

_Blood._

The weight was removed a moment later, and Jet saw her. Minerva lie on the ground before him, gasping for air. A gaping hole was present just under her left shoulder, which Jet noticed as his mind processed what happened.

She had just saved him… but _why?_

Judging by the stunned expressions on the faces of all those around him, they were just as baffled. But they didn't get to see her eyes. The brief, pained moment that their gazes locked was enough.

It had all been a lie.

_All a fucking lie._

Minerva had never once stopped caring for him. But she had either been threatened or forced into telling him that she hated him, and been forced to watch as he had been beaten to within an inch of his life.

And the fool that he was, Jet had believed that lie. Likely it had his life that had been threatened. That was the only thing he could think of that would cause her to lie. She had been trying to protect him.

Now he knew it. All of the hate he'd felt, the anger, the desire for vengeance towards her, he regretted all of it. He was supposed to be her lover! The one who knew more about her than anyone! And he couldn't even sense a simple lie…

Jet felt moisture beginning to well around the corners of his eyes.

"Don't… cry…" Minerva choked out.

Jet clinched his eyes tightly shut. Here he was feeling sorry for himself, when she was lying next to him, her life draining out of her body along with the blood that flowed freely from her wound.

Jet tried to move himself closer. He wanted nothing more than to pull her close to him, feel the comfort and warmth of her body next to his, and tell her he was there. And that he always would be. But he couldn't do that due to the restraints upon him. And he'd probably never get another chance.

From the corner of his eye, Jet saw another man raise his gun, presumably to kill him. But before he could get his finger anywhere close to the trigger, the man, Minerva's human – the same one Jet had originally belongs to and also the one who had first fired at Jet – placed a hand on the others rifle and moved it away.

The man was stunned. He didn't know dogs would do that for one another. But he remembered. He remembered how close the two canines had been before Jet had been deemed a murderer. But it wasn't possible. Animals did not feel love for each other… did they?

But upon witnessing the scene that had just unfolded, he knew that _that _particular myth was untrue. He also knew that Jet had never hurt a man, and had never killed anyone with malicious intent. It was survival. The instinct that kept all animals, even humans, going even during the most difficult of times.

How and why this knowledge came to him now, the man would never find out. But he _did _know one thing.

"I think this is the wrong dog. Jet is nowhere to be found." There was a finality in his town, and if left Jet even more awed, if that was even possible.

None of the man's companions argued.

The man bent down and scooped up the limp body of his own dog. She was still breathing, but only barely. The odds were against her, but the man would be damned if he just sat around and let her die, especially after what he'd just found out. He ran towards town carrying her.

The other men used a tranquilizer on Jet, so they could remove the chains which bound him. They left him there. He was now a free dog.

Neither Balto nor Nova knew what to say, for there was nothing they could say. Jet turned and began walking away from them. He moved off through the field, away from Nome. He tossed a reason over his shoulder.

"Going to go clean myself off." He spoke with such indifference, it scared Balto. The wolf dog followed his sibling. Nova stayed behind.

Balto knew the pain in her heart. He had suspected she had feelings for his sibling, and only in the past 24 hours had Balto discovered the feeling was mutual. Until Jet figured out the truth.

Balto knew the strength of love. If Minerva was dead – which she likely was, for who could lose _that _much blood and survive – it would be difficult, perhaps even impossible for him to love anyone like he did Minerva. Even _if _he got over her, it would never be the same for anyone else.

Jet had to travel about a mile before he found a stream, and when Balto arrived a few minutes later he found Jet almost completely emerged in the water. Only his head was held up, the cold flow washing over and cleaning out his entire body.

It only took a few minutes to clean him, but cleanliness wasn't why Jet remained standing in the icy water. Perhaps to retain his sanity. The cold water was soothing to his body and it helped him get his mind off of all that had transpired. Balto remained silent, and only sat keeping watch for any potential threats. But as expected, there were none.

Eventually when the sun was near to setting, Jet clambered out of the stream, shook himself off, and headed towards town. The journey was silent until they arrived on the outskirts.

"Thanks for being there with me." Jet said, referring to his sibling's presence as he had sat in the water.

Balto offered only a shrug. "We're not gonna leave you alone. I know I'll always be here, to help you."

Jet felt a bit of water beginning to well up in his eyes. "Thanks… I uh.. appreciate that."

Balto smiled. But it quickly turned into a worried frown as he noticed Jenna come bounding up, worry in her eyes. "Balto… Kodi is… he's… missing." She gasped, pink tongue lolling out as she tried to catch her breath.

Jet let out a low, instinctive growl. He didn't listen to Balto's response. He was willing to bet he knew where Kodi was.. and it enraged him. With Silva. That dog hadn't gotten what he wanted, so he had taken the little pup for spite. Because of a vendetta he had against Jet.

It wouldn't stand.

Jet was brought back into reality by his brother's inquiry. "Have you any idea where Kodi might be?" he asked in a panicked tone.

Jet nodded. "I do. And I'm going to find him. Keep searching, in case I'm wrong." His tone left no room for argument, and Balto simply nodded. He and his mate then quickly marched off, in search of their lost son.

The trail was just too confusing. Silva definitely had Kodi. But he had circled and ran and crisscrossed his trails so many times it was disorientating. And that wasn't good. The more time that was lost, the more danger Kodi was in.

Jet knew he should've howled for help. More than one dog would be needed to take down Silva. But he felt as though this was between he and Silva alone.

_But at the cost of Kodi's life..?_

Jet's eyes narrowed to mere slits. And then he found it, the one trail that was fresh, and didn't have his scent on it. He took off, nose low to the ground, muscles rippling beneath his dark grey pelt. Jet looked like a wolf on the hunt. And that was what he was.

The trail actually led back toward Nome. After what he'd done, Silva actually had the audacity, not to mention the _guts _to go back to the town?

But he should've figured it. Silva's owner was still there. And he didn't want to get left behind… and what about.. her? Minerva. The name crossed his mind, and pierced his heart like a flaming dagger.

After all this time, to find out… that she still loved him. Sure, she could've possibly handled the situation better. Simply told him, or something. But when the life of your lover was in danger, you'd do almost anything, however irrational it was, to protect them. He knew that. All too well.

Silva's trail was a straight shot back into town. It took him around the back alleys, and Jet actually had to hand it to this dog. He was decent at hiding a trail. But Jet had much more experience. He resisted the urge to brag upon himself, and shook out the thoughts. _Concentrate on the task ahead._

Said task would not be easy. Killing this dog would not be easy, either. And he had another conundrum that raced through his mind as he thought. If he killed Silva, would the humans understand? It was enough that they'd understood what Minerva had done.

And he still didn't get it. How did they realize? Minerva must've had something special about her, after all…

"Damn it, focus." Jet growled to himself. The trail led into a building. A well-used, supply place. All sorts of things hung off the walls. Rusting metal tools, axes, and even antique muskets with attached bayonets.

A few stacks of bricks, and quite a few ladders and other random items. Up above him in the warehouse like building, was a latticework of rafters. A ladder was propped up so that someone could conveniently climb up…

All of this he saw from the entrance of the building. And the waning light of day, shining through dusty windows, only served to heighten his senses, and increase the overwhelming sense of dread that was appearing in Jet's gut.

He shoved it aside as he heard a small squeak, bordering on a call for help. He made his way through the building, until he saw Kodi. He looked as though he'd been hit repeatedly. Lying up against a far wall, the young pup's eyes were wide with fright. They fixated on Jet, and it all changed.

"Lookout!" Kodi squeaked, and Jet heard it. A creak from above, and he only barely managed to jerk his head to the side as a block crashed to the ground. He could feel the wind and hear it whizz past his ears. Slowly, his gaze turned upward, and there, with a look of outrage and disbelief, stood Silva.

"You coward." Jet stated simply. "Come on down here and fight me _like a real dog." _

Silva made no move to reply, and stepped quickly across the rafters. Jet made a move to pursue, but a gasp from Kodi pulled him away. And then he was torn.

Right here, finally. Here was the dog that was the cause of all of the pain he'd suffered. Oh, how Jet had longed for this moment. How he had longed to sink his teeth into Silva's neck, feel Silva's warm blood in his mouth, and hear him cry in pain and beg for mercy.

But, as his blue eyes took in the small form of Kodi, the little pup who had grown up along with himself, he knew that none of that mattered anymore. It was done. He realized what was important. Jet swallowed all of his anger and hate, and instead tilted his head back and let out a long, wolf-like howl. And then he picked up Kodi, and padded out.

Two days later, and it was all over. Kodi was home. Jet was alive and safe, and his hunters were gone forever. But Minerva was dead. She had taken the bullet meant for him. And Jet's heart had been torn open all over again.

But, as he stared down at the small, carved cross that marked her grave, and then looked down to Kodi at his side, and then back at Balto, his brother, and Jenna, and all the rest of the pups, he knew he'd found his home.

He had lost his mate. But he had gained a lot more. He had found his blood brother. And… as his eyes fixated on the female that had been instrumental in restoring his life, Jet felt the smile come onto his face.

Maybe… just maybe.. he'd have a family of his own, someday, too.


End file.
